


Lonely End of the Rink

by katofthenorth



Category: World of Warcraft
Genre: And a Hug, Angst, Azeroth is NOT about gendered sports, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, Hockey AU, Jaina Needs a Nap, Panic Attacks, Past Abuse, mentions of abuse, softvanas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-26
Updated: 2020-01-16
Packaged: 2020-10-28 13:00:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 38,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20778974
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katofthenorth/pseuds/katofthenorth
Summary: An invitation to a hockey game changes Jainas life forever when she meets the captain  of the Silvermoon Farstriders and remembers that not all jocks are brutes.(subtitle: how many Canadian referances can I cram into a gay fanfic about hockey)





	1. Hockey Night in Dalaran

A storm was brewing. Jaina could feel it in the ache that settled deep in her joints. In the way her knee felt far stiffer than it usually did. She groaned in discomfort as she scooted her way to the side of her bed and carefully swung her legs over.

Her knee screamed in protest, even as she gently massaged some of the stiffness from it in an effort to straighten it. Wincing slightly as she stood, Jaina hobbled her way to the washroom.

Shower, breakfast, work, and then she could curl up with a good book. She repeated her schedule over and over in her head as she started the shower.

Jaina made a conscious effort not to look at her leg as she undressed, as she did every day. If she didn’t look at it than it was fine. Nothing had happened and she just had bad joints. It was a thought process that was only partially derailed as she grabbed the safety rail attached to the wall and carefully stepped into the tub. The steaming hot water always helped her relax as it loosened her muscles and soothed her aches.

Clean, dry, and dressed, Jaina made her way to her small kitchen. She let out a sigh when she looked at the clock. No time for a fulfilling breakfast. Again. Toast would have to do. It had barely popped up before Jaina was heading for the door.

She paused, testing her weight on her knee with a wince. With great reluctance, Jaina grabbed her cane and hurried out the door as fast as she could.

Kirin Tor Labs had accepted Jaina almost as soon as she graduated. It was the one thing that she could be truly grateful for. It had allowed her so many opportunities to continue her studies, and her coworkers were all delightful.

“You’re late again, Miss Proudmoore,” the elf next to her sneered.

Well, almost all of them. Jaina had to bite back a sharp comment as she forced a smile, “good morning to you as well, Aethus.”

Aethus sniffed and turned his nose up, “this is a rather serious lab, Miss Proudmoore. One would think that you would take this a bit more seriously, given how highly you were recommended. Perhaps you are still too young to appreciate what we do here.”

“Perhaps,” Jaina grit out. Her forced smile turned into a more genuine one as Aethus tripped out of the elevator. With deliberate slowness, Jaina drew her cane back to her side, “and perhaps you should pay more attention to your surroundings.” The door closed as he opened his mouth to snap out a reply and Jaina fell back against the wall laughing. There wasn’t much that was guaranteed to lift her mood, but making a fool of Aethus Sunreaver was near the top.

When the doors opened on her floor, Jaina was greeted by her project supervisor, Modera. The older woman held out a large mug of steaming black coffee to Jaina as she walked past, falling into step with her. She smiled, looking over at Jaina, “what’s got you in such a cheery mood?”

“I ran into Aethus in the elevator,” Jaina replied with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Modera chuckled, “you tripped him again, didn’t you Jaina?”

Jaina looked up with a huff, “it isn’t my fault that he can’t see my cane when I carefully move it in front of him.” She laughed brightly before calming herself, “so what have you got for me today?”

“The field team just sent some data over this morning,” Modera started as they came to Jainas small office, “I had it all forwarded to you to analyze.”

If Jaina had been in a good mood before, she was ecstatic now. “They finally got something?” Jaina asked, hobbling into her office, “I’ll get right on it!”

“Make sure you remember to eat for once!” Modera's voice was muffled by the closing door.

Of course, Jaina didn’t take her supervisors words to heart. How could she when she had so much to analyze? Eating could wait till later.

A loud knock on her office door startled Jaina away from her computer. Pushing her reading glasses back up her nose, she called out, “I’m a little busy!”

The door swung open regardless and Rhonin walked in, flicking on the light. “You know, Jaina, reading in the dark is very bad for your eyesight,” his lips quirked up, “and skipping meals is very bad for your health,” he admonished. He laughed heartily as he walked into the office, “your research will still be here later, but Vereesa only has an hour for lunch and she is waiting downstairs for us.”

Jaina looked between her monitor and Rhonin, snorting when she saw the puppy eyes he was giving her, a look made even more ridiculous by his neatly trimmed red beard. “All right,” she relented, pulling herself up to her feet. She shot Rhonin a warning glare when he stepped closer to try and help her, freezing him in his steps, “let's go to lunch with your wife.” Grabbing her cane, Jaina shoved past him and down the hall, “though I don’t know why you both insist on having me as your third wheel all the time.”

“Come on, Jaina,” Rhonin smiled brightly as he jogged to catch up, “you’re our friend and the only reason we met. You aren’t a third wheel, you’re family. You know that, right?”

Jaina took a deep breath through her nose and allowed herself a small smile, “I know. I’m sorry.”

He shook his head, “don’t be. Let's just hurry up and get you some food.”

Vereesa was waiting for them in the buildings small cafeteria on the ground floor. Her ears flicked forward when she noticed the duo and waved them over. When Jaina was close enough, she pulled the human into a hug, “it’s good to see you Jaina.”

Jaina couldn’t help but laugh as she eased herself down into a chair, “I was over for dinner just the other day.”

“Doesn't mean that it isn’t good to see you,” Vereesa replied in earnest, sliding a takeout container to each of them. She flashed her fangs to Jaina, “they were serving your favorite so I got you a double portion. Figured it would be the first thing you ate today,” she kept her tone light and teasing, but Jaina had known the elf long enough to know the admonishment for what it was.

“I had toast as I left,” Jaina weakly defended.

Vereesa's brow furrowed as her ears laid back, “Jaina Proudmoore,” she pointed her fork, “a single piece of wheat toast does not a breakfast make.”

Snorting a laugh, Jaina flipped open the lid to reveal that it was indeed a double order of fish and chips. The smell of it was heavenly and she wasted no time tucking into the mini feast set before her. The fish was flakey and had a faint sweetness all its own that was only enhanced by the batter. Light and crunchy, with just the faintest hint of the strong ale that had been used in it. And how could she ignore the chips? Dousing them in a healthy amount of vinegar, Jaina popped one in her mouth, humming in delight at the crunch.

She was halfway through her fries when she finally noticed that Vereesa hadn’t reached across once to swipe any of her food. Jaina met Vereesa's eyes with a slight glare, “all right, what do you want?”

Vereesa looked away quickly, “I don’t know what you mean.” Rhonin shifted uncomfortably beside her.

“The only time that you don’t eat my food is when you want something,” Jaina explained, “don’t think I haven’t noticed. So, just tell me what you want.”

“Well,” Vereesa bit at her lip and tucked a strand of her silvery blonde hair behind her ear, “you know that the Dalaran Invitational starts tonight, right?”

Jaina stilled, carefully placing the piece of fish she was about to eat back down, “I am aware, yes. What of it?”

“I may have two tickets to see the opening game between Silvermoon and Highmountain,” the elf explained, “Rhonin was supposed to go with me, but one of the supervisors for the boys camping trip pulled out and now he’s going. So I just thought that maybe—“

“I’d go with you instead,” Jaina finished for her. She swallowed hard and shook her head, “Vereesa you know how I feel about hockey. About arenas in general.”

“I know, Jaina. I know. I just thought… it’s been a long time. That you might be, not okay, but… better?” Vereesas ears pinned back, “I just can’t stand to think that he has taken something as simple as enjoying the game away from you. You used to love coming over to watch with me. And, his team never goes to the invitationals, so you won’t have to see him at all.”

“Fine,” Jaina agreed, sounding defeated. She closed her container and stood, “but I can’t duck out early and I’ll have to go home to get changed. I will probably miss some of it.”

“That’s fine,” Vereesa said, perking up a bit, “it’s not like going to the movies, you won’t miss much. This will be really good for you, Jaina. I just know it. And if it ends up being too much, we can leave. Promise.”

“I’ll be fine,” Jaina didn’t sound like she believed her own words, “as you said, it’s been a long time.”

_____________________________________________________________

Jaina didn’t remember the last time she had even been near the Dalaran arena, let alone inside it. For years she had been going out of her way to avoid it. To avoid the memories it dredged up of Stratholme. Above her, the light rumble of thunder rolled across the sky.

Standing in the parking lot, Jaina took deep breaths to calm herself, tugging the hem of her hoodie lower. “It’s just a game. Just an arena. The arena can’t hurt you,” she muttered to herself as she gripped her cane tighter and began the long walk to the entrance.

Showing her ticket, Jaina allowed herself to be led into the stands. Vereesa had gotten really good seats, almost rinkside. She would have been impressed if she wasn’t busy trying to calm her racing heart.

Vereesa was excitedly wavering her over and Jaina couldn’t help but smile. The elf was wearing an oversized Silvermoon jersey, the sleeve falling down her arm as she waved. “I will never understand how a race of people with such a strong dislike for the cold, can love hockey so much,” Jaina commented as she sat down.

“It’s hockey!” Vereesa exclaimed as if that explained everything. “You only missed the first period, but it’s tied up, two to two. I’ll tell you, this is probably the best game to see to get back into hockey!”

Her excitement only grew when the players retook the ice. Jaina couldn’t hide her shock. How in the world could the league allow elves, high elves at that, to face up against Tauren? Even with the protective padding wrapped around their antlers, they were huge and intimidating. A fact that didn’t seem to bother the elves as the puck was dropped. While the Tauren were surprisingly fast, the elves were faster, skating circles around their opponents.

One of the Highmountain players got control of the puck and sped down the ice. He skillfully dodged the Silvermoon players attempts to take it back until he was in the clear. Taking a moment to line up his shot, the Tauren drew back his stick and launched the puck towards the Silvermoon net and its small Elven goalie.

She seemed undaunted by the sheer velocity of the puck. Her glove shot out as she snagged it mid-flight. “And another amazing save by the Farstriders Liadrin!” The announcer cried over the cheering of the crowd.

Jaina surprised herself as she cheered along with Vereesa when the Silvermoon captain took control of the puck, passing it up to one of her teammates who managed to score a goal just as the second period ended.

As the players made their way off the ice, Jaina took notice of the name on the back of the captains jersey. Windrunner. Jainas mouth fell open, “I didn’t know your sister was on the team.”

Vereesa grinned proudly, “how do you think I got such good seats? Little sibling privileges.”

She was enjoying herself immensely. It was only when the first punch was thrown, that her initial panic came rushing back. The lone human player had been slammed into the boards near the end of the game. He charged the Tauren in retaliation, tossing his gloves aside and using his momentum to slam his fist into the bulls jaw. It was a rather one-sided fight. The bull had the reach and the size, Marris had no chance. His jersey was promptly pulled over his head and he was tossed down, hard. By the time the Tauren had been sent to the box, the Marris was just staggering off the ice.

It was suddenly all too much for Jaina. The sights and sounds. She ignored Vereesa as she struggled from her seat. She’d explain later, though she could probably already guess what was happening. She didn’t really have a destination in mind, she just needed out. Her head was pounding and her chest felt tight.

Distantly she heard the final buzzer and staggered to a halt. How long had she been walking? Turning around, Jaina saw that she was back where she had started. Walking in a circle? She didn’t have time to think about that as the fans began to exit and Jaina found herself jostled back towards the entrance and out into the pouring rain.

Home. She could just go home and call Vereesa after, to stop her from worrying. Every step sent a fresh lance of pain through her knee. Every person that hurried past her was him. Jaina squeezed her eyes shut tightly and leaned against the nearest streetlight. Her leg wouldn’t support her, burning pain radiated from her knee, and with a muffled sob, Jaina slid down to the wet parking lot.

Her usually golden blonde hair looked dark with how soaked it was, and it clung to her face. Jaina tried desperately to get her breathing to settle, but her lungs just wouldn’t cooperate.

Memories flashed through her mind. Or were they dreams? Jaina couldn’t tell anymore.

She was gliding elegantly across the rink. Every move she made was with purpose and executed on a dime. Every leap. Every spin. She was one with the ice. She was falling. Battered and broken. Shattered.

“Hey,” a voice pulled her up from the murky waters of her mind, “hey, you okay down there? You’re Jaina, right?” When Jaina opened her eyes, she was greeted by a very concerned looking high elf. Her ears were pinned back as she wrapped a strong arm around Jaina and helped her up, retrieving her cane with her free hand. When Jaina began to struggle against her, the elf tightened her hold to support more of Jainas weight as she made soft shushing sounds, “it's okay, you’re all right. I won't let you fall.”

Jaina was lead through the now mostly empty parking lot towards where Vereesa had parked her car. “Vereesa!” the elf called through the rain, “I found her!”

Vereesa hurried over to them, pulling Jaina into her arms and holding her close, “Belore! Jaina I was so worried!” Tears ran down her face, mingling with the rain. Vereesa ignored Jainas attempts to calm down her distraught friend and turned her attention to the other elf, “thank you so much for helping me find her, Syl. Sorry about pulling you away from the team.”

“Don't mention it,” the elf, Sylvanas, said with an easy smile, “just get her home before you both catch a cold.” She smiled as Jaina, pushing some of her soaked hair out of her eyes, “it was nice meeting you Jaina. Maybe next time, we can talk somewhere dry?”

“Yeah,” Jaina mumbled trying to focus on whom she was talking to, taking her cane as it was handed back to her, “next time.”


	2. I've Never Heard Someone Say...

“I really am sorry, Jaina,” Vereesa said for what had to be the hundredth time, at least, since she had picked Jaina up at her apartment. Her ears were drooping and Jaina was sure that if she wasn’t driving she would have been staring down at her feet. Any other time, Jaina would have found it endearing, almost. But not today. “I should have known—“

“Stop,” Jaina grit out. She took a breath to calm herself and sunk lower in her seat. “You don’t have anything to apologize for. If anything I should be the one apologizing for getting you so worked up and soaked in that rain.” She pressed her forehead to the window, “I wouldn’t have agreed to go to the game with you if I didn’t think I would be able to handle it.”

“You did,” Vereesa said helpfully, “well mostly. But that is a huge step! I’m pretty proud of you. Just a year ago you would have ended up much worse and faster.”

Jaina snorted, “thanks I feel so much better. It's been years. I should be over this by now.”

Vereesa reached across the console to give Jainas hand a gentle squeeze, “you shouldn't think like that. What you went through was terrible and no one can expect you to recover faster than you can. So, I’m sorry again. I shouldn't have pushed you.”

“Can we just stop talking about this?” Jaina begged quietly. She looked out the window as they came close to the rink. The parking lot was mostly deserted. A scattering of cars, hers included, and three tour buses. She shifted in her seat uncomfortably as they drove over the still-wet pavement towards her car. “You can just drop me off at my car and I’ll just meet you at the diner.”

Vereesa shook her head as she pulled in a space away from Jainas car, “no, I think I’ll stick around and make sure that no one has messed with it.” She left no room for argument as she quickly hopped out.

Jaina couldn’t have stopped the fond smile from spreading across her face if she had tried. She didn’t know what she had done to deserve a friend like Vereesa, but who was she to really question a good thing? She followed after the elf, one hand stuffed into her pocket, doing to best to avoid the worst of the puddles, “well? Does she get your seal of approval?” Jaina asked.

Giving the car one last stern look over, Vereesa nodded, “that she does. Though you left your rear windows cracked open so the backseat may be a bit—“

“Vereesa?” A woman’s voice called from the direction of the buses. Her long silvery hair fell loosely past her shoulders and her ears were perked upwards.

Vereesa’s ears twitched towards the voice and she looked up over her own car and smiled brightly, “Sylvanas!” She practically bounced with excitement as her sister rounded the car and picked her up in a bear crushing hug. “What are you doing here? There are no games going on,” Vereesa asked as she was set back down.

“Joint practice with the Sentinels,” Sylvanas replied, rolling her shoulder, “wouldn't know it was just a friendly practice with how hard those Night Elves hit.”

Vereesa laughed brightly and looked over at Jaina, sobering, “oh! This is my sister, Sylvanas.”

Jaina shook her head slightly, forcing herself to stop staring at Sylvanas’ toned arms, displayed wonderfully from the tank she was wearing. Shifting her cane to her other hand, Jaina made to shake hands with the older elf, “nice to meet you, I’m--”

“Jaina,” Sylvanas smiled, shaking Jaina’s hand quickly, “I’m the one who found you last night.”

Jainas faint smile vanished and she looked down, shuffling her feet. She waited for the pity that was soon to come. It always did. Anytime someone saw her at her lowest, or often just seeing her limp, the looks and words of pity always followed soon after.

Instead, Sylvanas flashed a toothy grin, “I usually prefer to make a better impression than meeting someone looking like a drowned rat and I promise that I don’t always pick up women in parking lots.”

Vereesa pulled Jaina to her side when the human blushed brightly from the wink that Sylvanas shot her, “must you always be so terrible?”

Sylvanas chuckled warmly, “I do try my best, Little Moon.”

That seemed to pull Jaina out of her embarrassment and she nudged at Vereesa, “Little Moon?”

“It’s a nickname out darling mother gave her when we were kids,” Sylvanas leaned back against Jaina's car and crossed her arms. Her ears twitched back in amusement, “she used to follow me around everywhere did everything I did. Still does,” Sylvanas reached out quickly and pinched her sister cheek, “the little league coach of the year.”

Vereesa quickly dodged back and took shelter behind Jaina, “I chose that completely on my own, thank you very much,” Vereesa defended with a huff, drawing laughter from both Sylvanas and Jaina. She looked between the two of them in shock, “and now you're turning my best friend against me? Truly terrible.”

“Would lunch make it up to you?” Sylvanas asked.

Making a show of thinking it over, Vereesa placed her chin on Jaina's shoulder, “well I was going to take Jaina out for lunch and I have been wanting to spend some time with you. Two birds?”

“Two birds,” Sylvanas hummed in agreement. She turned her attention fully to Jaina, her ears relaxing back, “if, that is, it's okay with Jaina?”

Jaina shifted her weight slightly, trying not to fully meet those brilliant blue eyes, “well we were going anyways. The more the merrier.”

“I’m afraid that I am going to have to cut this little lunch date short before it begins,” a male voice stated from behind Sylvanas.

Sylvanas rolled her eyes, smiling fondly, “and here comes the fun police.” She turned on her heel, stuffing her hands into the pockets of her sweatpants, “and why, pray tell, is that, Nathanos?”

The man, Nathanos, stood a little straighter, “the coach believes that our Captain should stay with the team. So he sent Liadrin and I to recollect you to go back to the hotel,” he motioned to the auburn-haired elf standing behind him.

Sylvanas snorted and gave him a playful shove towards Liadrin grinning when she easily sidestepped the taller human and watched him stumble back, “I’m with the team almost all year round. I think you all can manage an afternoon without me.”

“Of course,” Liadrin’s ears flicked in amusement, her golden eyes glittering, “the couch is going to tear you a new one when you get back through.”

“I can handle Lor’themar’s tirades,” Sylvanas smirked, “keep them out of trouble for me, will you Liadrin?”

Liadrin gave her a mock salute, “as the captain commands. Come along, Marris.”

“Your teammates are weird,” Vereesa commented once they were out of earshot.

Humming in agreement, Sylvanas walked to the passenger side of Vereesa's car. “Are you riding with us, Jaina?” Sylvanas called over the roof.

Jaina shook her head and fished her keys out of her pocket, “I have a few errands after lunch. So I’ll follow behind.” She didn't wait for either of the elves to reply before limping around to the driver's side and climbing into her car. After setting her cane in the passenger's seat, Jaina rubbed at her cheeks, trying to rid herself of any residual blush.

Jaina had met Vereesa's other siblings. They were kind, quick to pull Jaina into their family shenanigans. But Sylvanas seemed different. No less kind or prone to mischief, just different. Her mind wandered, bringing her back to strong arms holding her up, wrapped carefully around her. A soft soothing voice calming her panic.

She let her head fall against the steering wheel, “fuck,” she muttered. When she finally looked up, Vereesa had left.

It wasn’t a long drive from the arena to the diner, but it was long enough that by the time Jaina got there, her mind was clear. She could make it through a simple lunch. Or, so she thought.

She could easily spot the table that the elven sisters had been seated at just from the sight of their ears. Even from her spot by the door, Jaina could see those ears twitching and flickering as the two talked. Sylvanas was smiling, and Tides, what a smile. The kind that warms your heart just to see it because you knew it was true.

“Jaina!” Sylvanas’ ears perked up when she spotted the human and waved her over. “Glad you made it,” she said after Jaina had cozied into the booth next to Vereesa, “we were beginning to think that you had gotten lost,” the tease was light.

“Sorry, I got stuck in traffic,” Jaina shrugged, looking for the menu.

“I already ordered for you,” Vereesa explained, even as the waitress, a lithe looking troll, brought them their drinks, “I figured something would hold you up.”

Jaina flushed as she pulled her drink towards herself indignantly, “must you tease me in front of your sister?”

“Yes,” Vereesa smirked, “I must, you are very easy to tease and it’s a nice change to not be on the receiving end,” she nudged Jaina.

Once her laughter faded, Sylvanas leaned her elbows on the table, “so, tell me Jaina, what team do you usually cheer for? I promise that I won't be offended if it's not the Farstriders.” Her ears flicked back in thought, “I’d guess that you're a Lions fan.”

“I actually don't care much about hockey,” Jaina found herself saying before she could think. When she realized what she had said, she blushed in embarrassment. “I mean, not that there's anything wrong with hockey,” she corrected in a rush.

“Jaina, it's fine,” Sylvanas said, reaching across the table to squeeze her hand, “I'm not one to take offence to people not enjoying my career, and I'll be honest, no one has ever said that to me," she laughed, nudging Vereesa with her elbow, "but leave it to my sister to befriend someone who doesn't share her obsession.” She sat back when the waitress returned with their orders. Club sandwiches all around. Sylvanas tucked into her meal greedily, scarfing down half her order of fries before Vereesa and Jaina had hardly touched theirs. She smiled apologetically as she forced herself to slow down, “so, if not hockey, what are you interested in?”

Jaina shared a glance with Vereesa, setting her sandwich aside, “my work, mostly. Historical dating and translations. Right now we are helping another lab in the excavation of a Trollish ruin along the Lordaeron border. They send us photos and samples of anything they find and the team that I work with pulls as much information from it as we can. Yesterday, they sent us bone fragments that I’ve determined to be Orcish in origin! With just that little bit of information, we have become so close to being able to actually date the ruins!”

Vereesa rolled her eyes, having heard the same enthusiasm from Rhonin, but Sylvanas leaned forward, the remains of her food forgotten. “That is fascinating,” she said, honestly, “do you think it could have been a wartime encampment?”

“Second war, perhaps?” Vereesa chimed in, ears flicking up.

“I guess an interest in hockey isn't the only thing you share,” Jaina chuckled, “history buffs too. But, yes. I suppose it could date back to the Second War. I’ll let my team know.”

The rest of their lunch carried on in companionable silence. Jaina found herself greatly enjoying the company of Sylvanas. She was polite and funny, joking lightly with the waitress anytime she came to check on them. And the food only helped to enhance her afternoon. Sooner than Jaina had wanted, their food was gone and the bill was paid. She stood, trying to stretch her leg subtly as she grabbed her cane.

“Jaina,” Sylvanas started as she got up as well, “can I walk you to your car?”

Jaina paused next to their booth, looking between Vereesa and Sylvanas. Vereesa nodded excitedly behind her sisters back, waving towards the door. “Uh, sure?”

“Wonderful,” Sylvanas smiled as she fell into step with Jaina, holding the door open for her. When they got to Jaina's car, Sylvanas looked sheepish. “This was a lovely lunch,” she started, “and you are wonderful company. The team and I, we’ll be in Dalaran for a while and I was thinking that it would be nice to hang out with someone who isn't my sister some time. So, I was wondering if you would like to get a coffee sometime?” Sylvanas watched Jaina closely, noticing how nervous she suddenly looked, and smiled softly, “just as friends, or acquaintances if you don’t think we’re there yet. I would love to learn more about you.”

At this, Jaina relaxed, fishing out her phone at hand to Sylvanas, “I’d like that, Sylvanas.” Taking her phone back, Jaina sent a quick message to the elf to finish the number exchange. “I’m off on the weekends, so, just text me?”

“I will, I’ll see you then,” Sylvanas flashed her another smile before jogging over to where Vereesa was waiting for her.

Jaina watched them for a moment. Vereesa was laughing and Sylvanas’ ears had gone red. What could they be going on about? Shrugging off her curiosity for the time, Jaina got into her car to head home, looking forward to hearing from Sylvanas again.


	3. Your Local Coffee

Jaina couldn't remember the last time she went anywhere with someone new. Luncheons with Vereesa and the boys, dinners with coworkers, but rarely did she make new connections. It wasn’t that Jaina didn’t want to meet new people, she just never allowed herself the time. And dating? That hadn’t turned out so well for her in the past.

“It’s not a date,” Jaina scolded herself quietly as she flicked through her closet, “just coffee with my best friend's sister.” She picked out a light sweater, one of her favourites, a deep blue knit that hung off her shoulder and a pair of comfortable jeans. “My best friend's very attractive sister,” she groaned, dragging her fingers through her hair.

She could always cancel. Fire off a quick text with some excuse or another. Blame her leg. Jaina seriously considered it, if only for a moment. But then she remembered how genuinely excited Sylvanas had seemed at the concept of getting coffee with Jaina. The way she had smiled that brilliant smile. It occurred to Jaina that Sylvanas probably didn’t get to spend time with anyone new either. At least, not someone who didn’t care about her as a famous hockey star. She would be devastated if Jaina bailed.

The buzzing of her phone drew her attention.

_Downstairs waiting for you, whenever you’re ready :)_

Jaina smiled as she tapped out her reply, _be down in a minute._

Jaina pauses at her door. Her cane was leaning against the wall where she always left it when she got home. She had felt good when she woke up, not as much pain or stiffness as she usually felt. Still, she was careful as she tested her weight on her bad leg, wincing slightly. With a sigh of resignation, Jaina took her cane and hurried out of her apartment.

Sylvanas was waiting outside of her building, leaning casually against a streetlight, looking around with an almost bored expression. When she saw Jaina, however, her face lit up and that dazzling smile was back. “Afternoon,” she greeted, shrugging away from light to meet Jaina halfway.

“Where are you parked?” Jaina asked.

“Just around the corner,” Sylvanas said, “but I figured since it's such a nice day out that we could just walk over. There is a really nice cafe that a buddy of mine showed me the last time I was in town and it isn't far from here.” Her smile faltered when Jaina's only response was to stare at her, jaw slightly slack. Sylvanas’ ears flicked back, “sorry, that might not have been the best idea. We can drive.”

“Oh!” Jaina grabbed Sylvanas’ hand to stop her from walking away, “no, I’m sorry. I’m just not used to people asking me to walk anywhere. Ever. Everyone just assumes that I can't go very far or that I don't want to because of--”

“Not me,” Sylvanas’ voice was firm, “if you want to walk, then we will walk.”

“Than walk we shall,” Jaina said, following after the elf. She didn’t miss how Sylvanas seemed to shorten her stride so that Jaina didn’t have to overexert herself and she thanked her with a small, almost apologetic smile. “So, why have I never heard of this cafe?” she asked after reading the sign, ‘_Heem Torton’s Coffee and Pastry. _’

“It’s a hole in the wall,” Sylvanas explained, “very nondescript and quiet. Perfect for someone like me.” She held the door open for Jaina and followed after her. She smiled at the barista, raising a hand in greeting, “how’s business, Torton?” She asked as they approached the counter.

“Been slower than I would like, what with all you hockey stars in town pulling away my clients,” the Gnomish man complained light-heartedly. “Usual for you, Windrunner?”

“You know me too well,” Sylvanas looked to Jaina, “what about you?”

“I’ll just have a flat latte and—“ Jaina looked to the case of baked goods and her eyes lit up, “is that chocolate banana bread?”

Torton smiled, “you've quite the eye there, spotted the best item we sell on your first trip in.” He didn't wait for Jaina to actually order and placed a couple of pieces on a plate next to hers and Sylvanas’ drink with a wink, “on the house for a new customer, my husband would insist.”

“Oh!” Jaina blinked in pleasant surprise as she picked up the plate while Sylvanas paid and picked up the drinks, “thank you very much.” She followed the elf to a table in the back corner, leaning her cane up as she sat.

Sylvanas lets Jaina settle herself and take a few grateful sips of her coffee. She watched her settle more comfortably into her seat. “So Jaina, tell me about yourself,” Sylvanas asked, smiling over her coffee.

Jaina frowned, “not much to say,” she shrugged, picking a corner of the bread off to eat. “I’m sure Vereesa already spun you the tale,” she said, suddenly defensive.

“All she has told me is that you work with her husband,” Sylvanas assured her, her ears tilting back in a submissive way, “your life is yours to tell or not.” Once Jaina had relaxed again, Sylvanas grinned, “did you know that I’m a hockey player?”

Jaina snorted into her coffee, “it may have come up once or twice. I’m a scientist and historian. I want to university here in Dalaran and roomed with your sister.”

“Small world,” Sylvanas reached across the table and plucked the remainder of the bread from Jainas plate, “so did you grow up in Dalaran or Lordaeron?”

“The worlds not that small,” Jaina said, “Kul Tiras, actually.”

Sylvanas let out a soft whistle at that, “pretty far from home then. Do you ever miss it?”

“Sometimes I do,” Jaina admitted, “but I've got my life here now and I wouldn't trade it for anything. What about you? Do you miss Quel'thalas?”

“Constantly,” Sylvanas said, “it helps that I travel with so many other elves but… I still get a little homesick when I’m on the road. Stops in Dalaran like this really help through. It's close enough that it almost feels like home, not to mention I get to see Vereesa.”

“Is she the only reason you're happy to visit Dalaran?” Jaina asked over her latte.

“Well, the twins too,” Sylvanas smiled, “those two little goblins have to be the best kids in the world.”

Jaina smiled at that, “that, at least, is something we can wholeheartedly agree on.”

“We can't agree on good coffee?” Sylvanas teased, lifting her mug, her ears wilting as she pouted dramatically.

Laughter bubbled from Jaina, “if I hadn't already known you two were related this would convince me. Yes, we can agree on good coffee.” With the tension eased, Jaina was finally able to properly enjoy her food and coffee. The bread was, by far, the best she had ever had. Soft and moist and not overly sweet. The warm butter that had been spread over it added an extra element with the bittersweet of the dark chocolate.

If she hadn’t been relaxed before, she sure was now as the passed the banana bread between them. Jaina wasn’t really sure how she had expected this to go. How being alone with this woman she had just met would feel.

Sylvanas was polite and listened intently when she pressed Jaina to tell her more about her research. And Jaina, in turn, listened to her go on about hockey, with only the slightest twinge of discomfort in the back of her mind.

“I think our main competition in the conference this year will be Stormwind,” Sylvanas said, “I watched their game with Orgrimmar and it was pretty intense.”

“You’ll be careful, right?” Jaina asked, suddenly concerned.

“Worried about me?”

“Of course I am,” Jaina said in a huff. “I watched your game against Highmountain and you’re worried about humans and dwarves?”

Sylvanas laughed, not unkindly, “size doesn't count for much in hockey. Tauren are big, sure, but my girls can skate circles around them. The Lions, however, are fast and talented. It’s not getting knocked down that worries me, it’s being outsmarted.” When her words only made Jaina frown more, Sylvanas reached across the table to hold the hand Jaina had clenched next to the empty plate, “but if it makes you feel better, I promise I’ll be careful.”

She looked like she had more to say when her phone began to ring. Sylvanas frowned when she saw the name on the screen, her ears flicking back. “I’m sorry, Jaina, I have to take this.” She waited until Jaina waved away to answer, speaking in quiet Thalassian, her frown deepening with every word.

Jaina offered her a small smile when she hung up, “let me guess, your coach?”

“Worse,” Sylvanas grumbled, “the manager. I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to cut our date a little short.” She sat up straighter, looking uncomfortable, “not that it was a date in the sense that it was a date just—“

Jaina laughed brightly, “it was a nice date. Good coffee and even better company.”

That brilliant fanged smile returned as Sylvanas stood, “walk you home?”

“Are you always such a gentleman?”

“Only for cute scientists,” Sylvanas said

Blushing, Jaina stood and the pair made their way back outside. She didn’t complain when Sylvanas offered her arm to Jaina when her limp became more pronounced on their walk back, taking it with a mumbled thanks as she leaned against her slightly. “What do you do for fun?” She asked, trying to break the tension that she thought had built between them.

“You mean besides hockey?” Sylvanas teased. “I enjoy archery when time permits it. I find it to be incredibly relaxing. What about you? What does the scientist do when she isn’t examining pottery?”

“About as exciting as examining pottery, nothing near as interesting as archery,” Jaina said quietly.

“It’s something you enjoy, that makes it interesting enough,” Sylvanas said, earnestly.

“I read, mostly,” Jaina shrugged, “it’s about the most interesting thing that I’m still able to do.”

“You shouldn’t talk like that,” Sylvanas said, her ears flicking back, “I’m sure that you are far more capable than you give yourself credit for.”

Jaina stepped back, squeezing Sylvanas’ arm before letting her go, “that’s kind of you to say. But I’ve had quite a few years to get used to what I can’t do.” She offered Sylvanas a small smile before turning to walk into her building, “thank you again for the coffee.”

By the time Jaina was safely back in the silence of her apartment, her leg was throbbing painfully. She could hardly bend it without wincing in pain, but that pain filled her with a tiny sense of pride. She couldn’t remember the last time she had walked that much. It was… freeing. Jaina knew people treated her differently now, but she hadn’t realized how much until now. The simple act of asking her to walk somewhere had been almost taboo.

Jaina briefly wondered as she changed into her lounge clothes, if that was because most of the people she knew had known her before the incident, or if it was just the way Sylvanas was. Regardless of why Jaina felt lighter and found herself humming as she picked up her book and hobbled out to her balcony to further enjoy the warmth of the summer breeze that had accompanied her walk.

She had just gotten herself settled in her comfortable outdoor chair when her phone buzzed. Sylvanas had texted her.

I’ve decided to stay in Dalaran for a while yet after the invitational fully wraps up. I would love to see you again, perhaps for more coffee? Or we could go for another walk through the park? Rhonin tells me that it is lovely this time of year. I could bore you with more talk of hockey and you can fascinate me with what you have discovered at the dig site.

Or we could do anything really, as long as we can be around each other. I find your company as refreshing as I find it enjoyable.

Jaina smiled fondly at her phone. This was crazy, she had only known Sylvanas for a few days and already Jaina found herself growing attached to her. Maybe something more.

I would love nothing more. See you soon.

She was only mildly surprised at how true her words were. She couldn't wait until the next time she saw Sylvanas.


	4. Dropping By

Jaina knocked loudly on the door of Vereesa's house to announce her arrival before letting herself in. It had taken her a long time to be comfortable with this kind of trust. Back in Boralus, you never just let yourself into a friend's house, no matter how close to them you were. But in Quel’thalas, close friends were as good as family and the door was always open. Jaina chuckled quietly as she thought back to the culture shock she had experienced the first time Vereesa had let herself into Jaina's apartment.

“Hello!” Jaina called as she set her cane aside, kicking off her shoes. “I was just bringing Rhonin his tablet. I don't know how he manages to keep forgetting it in the lab,” she frowned when no one answered. “Vereesa?”

“Aunt Jaina!” came the reply from further in the house. Jaina braced herself, putting all of her weight on her good knee, as the sound of rapid footsteps grew louder. She opened her arms just as the two little half-elves rounded the corner and rushed into her warm embrace.

Jaina laughed as she pressed a kiss to the top of each of their heads, squeezing the twins tight before letting them go. She looked them over with a critical eye, “you two are up awfully late, aren't you?” She mumbled a thank you as they helped support her when she winced trying to stand up, “where's your mum at?”

“She and dad went on a nice date!” Giramar said.

Galadin nodded, “dad wanted to go to a fancy restaurant.”

Jaina frowned at that, “you mean she left you two here alone?”

“No,” Galadin huffed, “Aunt ‘Nas is watching us.”

“Boy!” Sylvanas' voice sounded from down the hall, “didn't your mother teach you not to open the door for--” she slid to a stop, catching herself on the door frame. When she saw Jaina, her ears pricked forward and a smile stretched across her face, “Jaina!”

Jaina didn't try to disguise the way she looked at Sylvanas. She looked at home, dressed down in a simple t-shirt and a pair of pajama pants covered in murlocs playing hockey. Her face felt warm and she forced herself to give the elf a winning smile, “what are you doing here, Sylvanas?”

Sylvanas chuckled, “I could ask you the same thing. You came all this way, might as well come in.” She motioned for Jaina to follow the three of them back into the living room. “Vereesa decided to take advantage of my being in town to get me to watch her little monsters.”

“She made us cookies and ordered us pizza!” the twins chimed, “and let us stay up to play AHL 2020!”

“Absolute terrors,” Sylvanas said dramatically as she flopped back down onto the plush couch, draping an arm over her eyes, “whatever did I do to deserve such torment?”

Jaina laughed as she took the seat next to Sylvanas, “I can see where Vereesa gets her dramatic flare.”

“Well she certainly didn't get it from Alleria,” Sylvanas scooted closer to Jaina when the twins sat on either side of them. She flicked off their game and pulled up a movie for them to watch before putting the boys to bed.

Jaina opened the pizza box and plucked out one of the remaining slices. Her nose wrinkled in disgust as she meticulously picked the pieces of pineapple off, “I will never understand why you elves insist on putting fruit on your pizza.”

“Tomato is a fruit too you know,” Sylvanas said with a smirk as Jaina settled back to eat.

She rolled her eyes and tried to relax and get comfortable, but despite her efforts, Jaina sat stifle next to Sylvanas for the better part of the movie. She wasn't used to people being so close to her, and certainly not someone she hardly knew. Sure, Vereesa had been quick to invade her personal space, and now she was beginning to think that it was a Windrunner thing. Jaina found herself, to her own shock, easily relaxing with Sylvanas.

Beside her, Galadin yawned loudly and cozied himself closer into Jaina's side. She smiled fondly and rubbed his shoulder, “don't get too comfortable. Let's get you two off to bed.” She got up and hobbled after the twins to their shared bedroom. Jaina tucked Giramar into bed while Sylvanas helped Galadin up into the top bunk.

They only made it as far as the door before Giramar piped up, “can you tell us a story, Auntie Jaina?”

Jaina shared a smile with Sylvanas before gingerly sitting at the foot of the bed, “alright. One story and then you two have to go to sleep.”

She told them fable favourite hero. She told them the tale of an ancient Elven warrior, a woman who was the sword and shield of her kingdom. Tonights tale was of a time before she rose to glory, when she and her merry band of heroes traveled the land, saving villages from bandits and trolls. By the time Jaina had finished her story, both of the boys had fallen asleep, theirs breathes coming soft and even.

Jaina hobbled her way out of their room and into the kitchen where Sylvanas was putting a kettle on the stove. She cleared her throat and Sylvanas flicked an ear back in acknowledgment. “The boys are both asleep,” Jaina informed her, “so I guess I should get going.”

“You could stay,” Sylvanas offered, already pulling down two mugs as if Jaina's response had already been spoken, “I was just going to watch some cheesy action movies and pass out on the couch, so I wouldn't mind the company.”

Jaina mulled the offer over in her mind. She had enjoyed Sylvanas’ company so far, she was nothing but polite and kind, and she had come all the way out to Vereesa’s house. In response, Jaina reached past Sylvanas to pull down a box of tea, “badly dubbed Windwalker movies?”

“Are there any other movies as cheesy?” Sylvanas asked with a small smirk as she poured the hot water over the tea bags in the mugs. “Grab some of those cookies and we’ll eat the evidence before Little Moon can tear a strip off me for spoiling her kids,” Sylvanas said as she picked up the mugs and returned to the living room.

Jaina sat down close to Sylvanas, trading cookies for tea with a small thank you. She took a sip of her tea and hummed in delight as she sank more comfortably into the couch, “tea from Quel’thalas is almost as good as the tea you can get back in Kul Tiras,” she commented off-handedly.

Sylvanas scoffed, shooting Jaina a playful glare as she finally picked a movie, “I feed you cookies and you slander my country's tea?”

“Not slander,” Jaina chuckled, “just pointing out the facts that the tea grown in Tiragarde is superior.”

“Well then the next time we go to the coffee shop we will just have to order samples of both teas and see just who grows it better,” Sylvanas said, her ears twitching, “that is, if you would like to go back to the coffee shop with me.”

“I’d like that very much,” they were some of the most honest words Jaina had ever said and she wanted to say more. Wanted to go on about how much she had been enjoying Sylvanas’ company. She instead held her tongue and focused on the movie. An old rendition of the constantly retold story of the first emperor of Pandaria and his travels with the fabled Monkey King. A grossly historically inaccurate movie, but enjoyable nonetheless.

About halfway through the movie, Jaina's eyes began to droop and she struggled to keep herself sitting upright. Sylvanas wordlessly moved her arm so that Jaina could lean against her, “I’m sure you find this kind of movie rather repetitive,” she said quietly, “I won't mind if you close your eyes for a bit.”

Jaina bit her lip in thought before giving in to the offer of rest and comfort. She shifted herself further down the couch and leaned her head against the elf's shoulder. She was warm, comfortably so and Jaina found herself quickly dozing off with Sylvanas’ arm wrapped around her.

Jaina had no idea how long she had been asleep, but when she woke up, the living room was dark and she was laying down. She blinked in confusion when she noticed that the couch she had fallen asleep on was moving slightly. Rhythmically. Almost like a breath. That had her awake. She shifted herself onto her elbows to see just what she was sleeping on, or more rather, who, and felt a blush burn across her cheeks.

Sylvanas was sprawled out on the couch, half underneath Jaina. One arm hanging off of the side of the couch and the other gently wrapped around Jaina beneath the blanket that her been draped over them. Jaina blushed brightly and briefly considered throwing herself off of the couch, but she stopped herself. Sylvanas looked so peaceful when she was asleep. Her ears lax, giving the most minuscule of twitches as irregular intervals, and one of her fangs had caught on her lip, causing it to stick out.

She was, absolutely adorable. Jaina couldn’t help but reach out and to tuck a strand of that silvery blonde hair out of Sylvanas’ face. She had to admit, this was nice and if Sylvanas was comfortable with it, so would she. Jaina cozied herself back down against Sylvanas, earning her a contented sigh from the slumbering elf.

Her last thought as she drifted off was that she could get used to this. 


	5. At the Rink

Jaina had been struggling to stop herself from blushing the entire day in her office. It hadn’t worked at all, but she had tried! It was just that Vereesa seemed to be very much against her attempts, blowing up her phone with teasing text messages. When her phone buzzed again, Jaina contemplated chucking the infernal thing across her room, only stopping herself when rational thought kicked in. Vereesa would just send in Rhonin to tease her in person. Breakfast had been terrible enough what with the couple taking turns teasing them, Jaina didn't think that she could handle a resurgence. When great reluctance, Jaina flipped her phone over to read the latest message.

_ You don’t even realize how serious I am Jaina! You two would be so cute together! _

Jaina gave herself to the fact that she would be getting no more work done this day and saved her work to power down her computer. She slumped down in her seat as she picked her phone up to finally answer her friend.

_ For the last time Vereesa, I am not dating your sister! _

_ Why not? Was she secretly rude to you when you were over? Or is she just not good enough? _

Jaina rolled her eyes and allowed a fond smile to curl her lips.

_ She was perfectly polite and anyone would be lucky to have her. But you know I don't date anymore, and like I told you a thousand times this morning, she let me doze on her and I guess she fell asleep as well. _

The memory caused her blush to return with a vengeance. Jaina scrolled up through her messages to the photo that Vereesa had sent her almost as soon as she left her friend's house. A quick picture of Jaina and Sylvanas cuddled up on the couch, a small contented smile on Jaina's face as she and Sylvanas slept soundly beneath the blanket. As embarrassing as it was to know that Vereesa and Rhonin had stumbled upon them, it was also the most relaxed she had felt in a long while. Jaina had found herself missing Sylvanas terribly.

That was another new thing. It had only been a few days since she had last seen the elf, and already she looked forward to getting to spend even more time with her. Jaina just didn't connect with people, it was best to keep everyone at arm's length. After tapping out a quick message to Vereesa, letting her know that she was heading out before pulling up Sylvanas’ number in her contacts to call her.

Jaina chewed at her lip as the phone rang. She frowned in confusion when a man's voice came through from the other end, “hello? Who is this?”

“Jaina,” she replied, “I was trying to get a hold of Sylvanas, but maybe I have her number entered wrong.” It was impossible, Jaina knew this. She and Sylvanas had been texting back and forth almost constantly since their coffee date.

There was a moment of silence before the man on the other end laughed, “ah! The woman that has been stealing all of my captain's attention! I’m afraid that you have caught her in the middle of last practice so she is rather preoccupied--”

“Theron!” Jaina could faintly hear Sylvanas, “get off my phone!” There was a scuffle as Sylvanas clearly fought to get her phone back before she finally huffed out, “hello?”

“Hey, Sylv,” Jaina smiled, “I was calling to see if you wanted to get dinner somewhere, but you seem busy.”

“I would never be too busy to spend a bit of time with you,” Sylvanas said, “why don't you come and check out the practice? I’m not sure if you noticed, but I may talk about you a lot to the team and they’ll all dying to meet you.”

Jaina gripped the arm of her chair tightly. The arena. Sylvanas wanted her to go back to the arena. She closed her eyes and took a few steadying breaths, counting silently down from ten until the small swell of panic dissipated. It would be fine, it wasn’t like there would be a crowd or a game. Just the Farstriders. She could handle that, right? And she had already met two of her teammates, and they seemed to be just of relaxed as Sylvanas.

“You still there, Jaina?” Sylvanas said when the silence stretched on.

“Sorry!” Jaina said quickly, “got lost in my thoughts. I’d love to meet your team,” she cringed at her choice of words. “I’m just getting off work so I’ll see you soon?”

“Looking forward to it.”

Jaina let out a quiet gasp of pain as she stood up, her hand shooting out to support herself against her desk. She had been at her desk for far longer than she should have been and her knee had locked. Her teeth nearly gauged into her lip in her effort to bite back a louder cry of pain as she forced it to straighten. Jaina fumbled for her cane, gripping it in a white-knuckled grip.

Any other time, Jaina would have cancelled her plans and just gone home for a good long soak, but the thought of disappointing Sylvanas spurred her on. She managed to get to her car before she needed to take a breather. She sent Sylvanas a text, informing her that she would be a little bit later than expected.

Jaina's heart was pounding for the entire drive to the arena. She kept telling herself that she would be fine, that she had no reason to be as anxious as she was. By the time she parked in the near-empty lot, she had managed to calm herself down. Jaina's heart had calmed and the pain in her leg had eased and she had no trouble walking into the arena.

The vast entry was empty save for a lone elven man standing near the main ticket booth with his hands clasped behind his back. He turned his head to an angle and offered her a smile before striding forward to meet her. “Jaina, I presume?” he shook Jainas hand gently when she nodded, “it's good to finally put a face to the name. The picture that Vereesa sent all of us didn't have a clear view of your face.” He laughed at the bright flush that coloured Jainas cheeks. “Sorry, when I saw Sylvanas’ reaction I could not resist seeing if yours would be the same. Lor’themar Theron,” he finally introduced, “Head coach of the Farstriders.”

Once Jaina managed to compose herself, she took a good look at Lor’themar. He was dressed casually in jeans and a sleek button-up shirt, long platinum hair was tied into a tight braid that he had draped over his shoulder. And his eyes, one blue, one green.

It took Jaina most of the walk down to the ice to figure out why. The tilt of his head, the way he shifted to avoid the door, even though he was in no danger of hitting it. “Your eye,” Jaina said quietly.

Lor’themar smiled softly, “I caught a puck with my face in college, my eye was a tad too damaged to save. I thought it would be fun to mess with people so, green glass eye.” He let out a loud whistle to gain the attention of the players on the ice, “Windrunner! I found your girlfriend,” he chuckled at the colourful Thalassian curses Sylvanas shouted at him.

Jaina simply smiled as she made her way down to the ice, “I’m not her girlfriend,” she chided lightly as Lor’themar passed her. She joined him in the box as Sylvanas and the rest of the team skated over.

Sylvanas’ cheeks and ears were tinged red, though whether that was from cold or embarrassment, Jaina couldn’t tell. She extended her arms to pull Jaina into a friendly hug before thinking better of it and pulled them back. Jaina didn’t allow Sylvanas to get too far and grabbed the sleeve of her practise jersey to pull her into a one-armed hug that was only slightly awkward. “I already fell asleep on you,” Jaina murmured, “I think we’ve jumped past the point where a hug is okay.”

Sylvanas nodded stiffly, “Yes, I suppose we are.” She cleared her throat and tapped her stick against the ice, a sign for silence, “everyone, this is Jaina. Jaina, everyone.” A chorus of exaggerated ‘boos’ followed her brief introduction. Sylvanas rolled her eyes at their theatrics, “fine, fine. You’ve already met Liadrin and Nathanos. The rest of this unruly mob is—“ Sylvanas went down the line of players, naming them each in turn.

When she was finished, Lor’themar clapped his hands, “alright, if we are all finished introducing ourselves to Sylvanas’ girlfriend,” he pointedly ignored how they both corrected him, “We still have a few more drills to run before we get thrown out. Captain?” He watched as the team took up their positions before taking a seat on the bench. With a warm smile, he patted the space next to him, “take a seat, Jaina. This should be a treat to watch.”

Jaina raised a brow at that statement and carefully lowered herself onto the bench. A treat? Jaina had seen plenty of hockey practises and she had no idea how being allowed to watch one could be considered a treat. They were loud, and disjointed holding none of the glamour of an actual game.

At least, that is what Jaina had always known them to be. This was decidedly different. The players were silent as they glided across the ice, passing the puck effortlessly and blocking shots that Jaina couldn’t even see happening. It was as amazing as it was confusing. How were they playing in such sync without communicating with each other?

That was her thought until she noticed Nathanos make a series of subtle hand signs, near impossible to see do to the thick gloves, but when he passed the puck, one of the other forwards, Velonara, received it with ease after a quick flick of her left ear. Silent communication. An entire pseudo-language based on ear movements. “Brilliant,” Jaina breathed. And it was, most teams in the league didn’t have any elven members, so the chances that they would be able to understand the signals were slim.

But the longer Jaina watched, the more she understood. She studied each and every movement as she would a piece of pottery, or a fragment of bone, committing it all to memory. Jaina found herself wishing that she had brought one of her notebooks with her so that she could make quick sketches and notations for she recognized the movements for what they had been derived from. Ancient Quel’dorei Ranger signals.

Jaina was pulled from her thoughts about asking Sylvanas to teach her the meanings when the buzzer sounded loudly, signaling the end of the team's time on the ice. She looked back to the team as they skated back over, “all done?” she asked Sylvanas once she was close enough.

Pulling off her helmet, Sylvanas nodded, “I just need to get changed and say goodbye to the team. They’re all flying out tonight.”

“Alright, I’ll wait outside,” Jaina waved to the team to a chorus of goodbyes. She took her time heading back out to her car. She was so focused on finding a restaurant on her phone, that she didn't notice the person walking towards her until they nearly collided. She stumbled backward, catching herself quickly with her cane before looking up, an apology dying on her tongue, “Kalec?”

Kalec beamed with joy, “Jaina! Titans, it's been too long!”

Jaina forced herself to smile, “it really has. You haven't changed a bit,” she did her best to keep her bitterness from her voice, Kalec didn't deserve that. But it was true, same dark hair streaked with blue, same boyish looks, with a faint scar splitting across his lips. The way his short elven ears tilted back betrayed that he didn't think the same about her. His ears had always betrayed his thoughts. She swallowed back her swell of anger, gripping her cane tighter, “what are you doing at the arena?”

Kalec shifted the bag he was holding so that Jaina could see it, “I have been waiting for the tournament to end so that I could finally get some practice time it. Regionals will be starting up soon and, well, you know how it is.”

“Yeah, yeah I did,” her hand was shaking and she could only hope that he couldn't see it, “are you still skating pairs?”

“No,” Kalec shook his head, “never felt right trying to find a new partner so I've stayed solo. It's done me good so far, my manager thinks that it makes for a good story.”

“A good story?” Jaina couldn't hold back her anger after that, “he thinks what happened is a good story?”

Kalec looked stricken, “I’m sorry, Jaina. I didn't mean it like that.”

“Of course you didn’t,” Jaina but out, “I’m not sure how I could have possibly misinterpreted that.” She waved behind herself, “the ice is free now, you best be going.”

Kalec reached out for her before letting his arm fall to his side, “right. Yeah, I’ll be going. It was nice seeing you again. Keep in touch?”

“Sure,” they both knew that she wouldn’t. Not long after he had left, a hand settled lightly on her shoulder. Jaina whirled around, a curse on her lips only to find Sylvanas standing with her hands passively raised and her ears slanted back.

“Are you alright, Jaina?” Sylvanas asked, her voice soft.

Jaina could only nod as she closed the few steps between them they lay her head against the elf’s shoulder, “just… ran into someone I used to know. An old friend.”

Sylvanas hesitantly warped one arm around Jaina in an effort to comfort her, “you don’t look like you ran into an old friend.”

“We didn’t part ways under the best circumstances,” Jaina said. After a while, she stepped back, “come on, let’s get you some food, I’m sure you’re starving after that practice,” when Sylvanas looked about to argue, Jaina added, “I insist. I want to, and besides that, there is a new poutine place that’s opened that I have been dying to try.” She laughed brightly at the way Sylvanas’ ears perked up, “it's a few blocks away, I’ll drive us.”

They spent the short drive in comfortable silence and didn’t speak much aside from ordering once they were seated. Alone again in the cozy atmosphere, the embarrassment settled over them once more. “I’m sorry, Jaina,” Sylvanas said as their food was brought out.

“About what?”

Sylvanas’ ears drooped, “about last night. I know I should have woken you up, but you looked so comfortable and I was tired and —“

“Sylvanas, it’s fine,” Jaina managed a smile, “if I’m being honest, it was actually rather nice. You’re quite comfortable.”

Sylvanas blushed, her ears flicking back, “Thank you?”

To save them both further embarrassment, Jaina turned her attention to the poutine that had been placed in front of her. A good-sized portion of fries topped with a heaping amount of cheese curds that were already beginning to melt from the heat of the gravy that had been poured over the top. At the first bite, Jaina let out a hum of delight. The fried were still crisp and the gravy was rich and flavourful.

Across from her, Sylvanas was slowly working her way through her meal, her ears tilted back in her contentment. Soon, too soon for Jainas liking, their plates were empty and they were walking back to Jainas car in the gathering darkness. “That was probably the best poutine I have ever had,” Sylvanas said, “I’ll have to take the twins there sometime while I’m in town.”

“So you’ll be in Dalaran for a while yet?” Jaina asked.

Sylvanas nodded, “I’ll be staying with Vereesa for the rest of the summer, or until she gets sick of me,” she laughed with Jaina and moved closer so that their sides her touching while they walked, “why do you ask?”

Jaina shrugged, “I was thinking that we could maybe go out sometime. Maybe go for a walk in one of the nature parks?”

“I would go on as many walks as you'd like, Jaina,” Sylvanas replied. It was a slow movement as she reached out to hook her pinkie with Jainas, “it's a date?”

“Yeah,” Jaina nodded, “it's a date.”


	6. Tarts and Fiddles

Planning a date turned out to be harder than Jaina thought. She had a busy schedule on her own on top of the fact that Vereesa seemed to be purposely making it difficult for her to even spend time with Sylvanas, let alone go on a date with her. It was an odd contrast to the teasing that she had displayed before.

In her heart, Jaina knew that her friend wasn’t doing it on purpose. Things happened and it was just convenient having her sister help around. But knowing and rationalizing were two different beasts and with how anxious she had been about the date Jaina found herself unable to put them together.

And the nervous anticipation was another thing that was entirely new to Jaina. She had been on plenty of dates before, but none of them had ever left her stomach flipping in excitement as she planned out everything once a time and day had been set in stone.

Jaina had picked out a light summer dress to wear. It was a simple thing, pale blue with dark blue waves along the hem that fell halfway down her calves. It used to be one of her favourites but she hadn’t felt confident enough to wear it in years. Even as she stepped out of her car when she arrived at Vereesas, she tugged at it self consciously. Jaina flushed as she approached the step, feeling ridiculous in her nice dress with her cane and her limp.

Regrets and doubts began to creep into Jaina's mind. This had all been a terrible idea. Surely, Sylvanas saw her the same way everyone else did. With pity and sympathy, she was obviously just better at hiding it. She would see now just how ungainly Jaina was and her pity would melt away and she would leave.

She was pulled out of her spiraling thoughts by the door opening in front of her. “I didn’t mean to startle you,” Sylvanas said as she stepped outside, “you looked a little lost.”

Jaina blinked rapidly, clearing the haze from her eyes, “lost in thought, sorry,” she ducked her head at the huffed laugh Sylvanas gave in response. After she recovered her nerve, Jaina looked Sylvanas over, taking in her outfit. A well-worn jean jacket over a nice button-up shirt and a pair of dress pants. It suited her.

“Seems to be a theme with you,” Sylavanas said, not unkindly, “the historian's mind never rests.” She quickly shut the door when she heard Vereesa hurrying down the hall, “So, where are we going?”

“There's a nice little place not too far from here,” Jaina said, “I thought that we could walk there and then maybe walk through the park?”

Sylvanas hummed at the plan, “it's a lovely night for a walk,” she agreed as she set off down the steps. She waited for Jaina to catch up before setting off, allowing Jaina to take the lead. They walked down most of the street in silence until Sylvanas finally spoke up, “you look lovely tonight, Jaina.”

Jaina blushes, self-consciously tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, “Thank you. You don’t have to say that, but thank you all the same.”

Sylvanas stopped walking, a deep frown marring her features, “I mean it, Jaina,” her voice was firm, leaving little room for argument, “you are a stunning woman. That isn’t something that I say lightly. I hope you can believe me.”

All words had left her and Jaina could only stare. “I… thank you,” she offered her hand to Sylvanas who gladly moved forward to lace her fingers with Jainas. She didn’t realize how tight she had been holding Sylvanas’ hand until the elf began to move her thumb in soothing circles. “Sorry,” she mumbled before continuing down the road.

When they got the restaurant, a small family-owned place, they were led to a table on the far end of the patio away from the other customers. The sounds of clinking plates and scattered conversations quickly melted to the background as they sat. That talked little as they looked over their menus up until the waiter had taken their orders and hurried off.

Absently twisting the fabric of her dress between her fingers, Jaina asked, “so what has Vereesa had you been doing that’s kept you so busy?”

“Housework,” Sylvanas replied, “I swear that girl lets things pile up until I come to visit.”

“Maintenance?” Jaina raised a brow at that, “in all my years of knowing her, I have never known Vereesa to ask for help.”

Sylvanas smiles at that, “normally you’d be right. But she still exploits the shit out of her position as a younger sibling. She just pulls the sad eyes and gets me to do all of the hard work. I’m sure that that is why Alleria never visits her.”

Jaina gave a hearty laugh at that after failing to hide her amusement in her water glass. “Well, that at least sounds like her.” She leaned back in her seat to give the waiter room to place down her food and thanked him.

“Can I interest either of you in anything to drink?”

“Nothing for me, thank you,” Jaina said with a smile, noting that Sylvanas also passed.

“Not a drinker?” Sylvanas asked, taking a stab at one of the mini potatoes on her plate.

Jaina shook her head, “not anymore, no. Can’t really risk impacting my balance any more than it already is.” She rolled her eyes at the sour face that Sylvanas pulled, “that isn’t me being hard on myself, Sylvanas. It’s just a fact. I can enjoy myself perfectly well without the aid of alcohol.” She looked down at her food, stuffed pork loin smothered in a maple-cream sauce with broccoli bake and the same little potatoes that Sylvanas was still fighting with. It was, hands down, some of the best food Jaina had had in a long time. The rosemary butter the potatoes had been tossed in was heavenly and even added to the broccoli when she dipped a piece into the runoff. And the pork! Jaina made a mental note to try and make something passingly similar at home. The meat was tender and sweet thanks to the sauce and the mushroom and crumb filling had done a wonderful job of soaking in all of that flavour.

Looking across the table, Sylvanas seemed to be enjoying her own meal just as much. Her ears were slanted back in delight and she seemed to be making a very conscious effort to take her time. Sylvanas set her fork aside as she finished the last potato, sighing contently, “I’ll have to come back here, often.”

Jaina grinned at that, “and deal with Lor’themar getting on your ass about overeating? I’m sure he’ll plan an extra special training regiment for you.”

Sylvanas snorted, “like that would stop me. In fact,” she raised her hand to get their waiters attention, “could we get an order of butter tarts?”

“Certainly, one moment.”

“You’re still hungry?” Jaina asked.

“A good meal is never complete without a good dessert,” Sylvanas said sagely. It wasn’t long before the waiter returned, placing the plate of two good-sized tarts between them.

“Will that be all?”

“Just the bill, thank you,” Jaina looked at Sylvanas, brow raised in silent question. When the elf nodded, she turned back to the waiter, “an even split.” The tart was still warm when she picked it up, tapping it against Sylvanas’ when she held it out, “cheers,” Jaina chuckled, taking a bite. If she had thought dinner was good, dessert blew her away.

The crust was so buttery that it practically melted in her mouth, and the filling was to die for. Gooey and sweet, still runny from the oven and not a raisin to be had. She licked crumbs from her fingers before noticing that Sylvanas was smiling at her, her chin resting on her hand. “Uh, sorry.”

Sylvanas shook her head, “don’t be. Nothing wrong with enjoying a meal to its fullest. Crumbs and all,” she fished her wallet out and placed her money carefully under the weight of the salt shaker along with Jainas.

As she stood, Jaina realized that she really didn’t want their night to be over. She chewed at her lip, “Are you still up for a walk through the park? Work off some of that food?”

Sylvanas looked to the sky, noting the orange tinge of dusk settling over the sky, “lovely night for a walk,” she linked her arm with Jainas and the pair set off.

They talked in soft voices as they walked. How Jainas research was going, if they had come to any breakthroughs. Of Sylvanas’ hopes for the season. Sylvanas was about to say more on the subject when her ears shot up at the sound of music. Her head moved as if on a swivel before she set off towards an ornate pavilion, making sure to shorten her stride so as to not strain Jaina.

A Tauren stood on the deck of the pavilion, a fiddle tucked under his chin. Small bells tied to his antlers jingled lightly with every stamp of his hoof, setting a counterpoint to the cheery sounds of the fiddle. A sizeable crowd clustered around the steps, clapping to the beat and swayed along.

Jaina smiled at Sylvanas when she saw her swaying along, “I never thought you would be a folk person.”

“My brother plays,” Sylvanas explained. An excited grin crossed her face as she pulled Jaina over to a bench. She tossed her jacket down and held out her hands for Jaina, “dance with me?”

Jaina froze, her knuckles turning white from how tightly she gripped her cane, “Sylvanas… I really can’t. My cane and—“

“I won’t let you fall,” Sylvanas said, her smile warm, “I promise.”

Swallowing down her fear and uncertainty, Jaina gripped Sylvanas’ hand tightly for balance as she leaned her cane against the bench. Almost immediately, she was pulled closer so that she hardly had to put any weight on her leg. The transition was so seamless it was almost jarring. She could feel the way that Sylvanas had tensed her arms to offer Jaina solid support as she was led closer to the pavilion in a rocking circle.

It was far from the most graceful dance Jaina had ever participated in, with Sylvanas constantly adjusting her footing to keep Jaina steady, but it was still one of the best. How long had it been since she had danced? In any capacity? Too long, her brain supplied. She had dared to try on her own, after all the warning from a variable train of doctors, and no one had bothered to offer.

Emotion swelled in her chest, tightening in her throat. Jaina presses her face into Sylvanas’ shoulder to silence the sound that threatened to burst forth. It was too much.

Sylvanas seemed to pick up on this as she led Jaina back to the bench. She helped lower her down, pausing to brush a few strands of hair out of her face, “I’ll be right back. I’m just going to tip him for that wonderful song and I’ll be right back.”

Jaina nodded, rubbing at her watery eyes as soon as Sylvanas had turned away. Maybe that was the point, to give Jaina a moment alone. Her insidious thoughts tried to resurface, but this time, she didn’t need them to be startled away. Sylvanas had danced with her! Had found a way for Jaina to enjoy that simple joy that had been locked away from her for years!

When Sylvanas returned, Jaina had only done a passable job at wiping away her tears. Sylvanas frowned and sat down next to her, her ears pinning back, “I’m sorry, Jaina, I never meant to upset you. Was that too much?”

Jaina shook her head, seeking out Sylvanas’ hand to hold tightly, “no. No, I’m alright. Happy tears. Promise.” She winced when she made to stand up, pain radiating from her knee, and she was thankful for Sylvanas as the elf stood and wrapped an arm around her to keep her from falling back. “Maybe a bit too much,” she admitted. She didn’t wait for the offer of assistance that she knew Sylvanas would extend and leaned into her side as they started down the path that would take them back to Vereesas.

“This was wonderful,” Jaina said, “I had an amazing time.”

“So did I. I really hope that Vereesa allows me time to do it again,” Sylvanas replied. She didn’t say anything more as Jaina walked her to the door, but it was there that she seemed to truly fumble for words. She brushed her fingers absently through Jaina's hair, an action that was quickly becoming a habit. “I mean that. I would love to take you out again.”

“As many times as you’re able,” Jaina murmured, leaning into Sylvanas’ palm when it came to cup her cheek.

“And, I would really like to kiss you,” Sylvanas leaned closer, “if that wouldn’t be to forward of me.”

Jaina shook her head, “it wouldn’t be, and I think I would very much like the same.”

Before their lips could meet, the front door was ripped open. They were momentarily blinded by the flash of Rhonin's phone as he took a quick picture of them. His grin was only overshadowed by Vereesa’s as she poked out from behind him. “You two are too cute!” She said with a laugh. Vereesa waved a hand to them, “oh don’t stop on our account, just pretend we aren’t here.”

Sylvanas blushed furiously as she rounded on her sister, “have you no sense of privacy or decorum, Little Moon?”

“Payback, dear sister,” Vereesa replies with a smile that was all too innocent.

She would have fired back another retort had it not been for Jaina tugging at the sleeve of her jacket, pulling her around and into the kiss that awaited her. It was a soft, gentle kiss. More a simple meeting of lips than anything else. Still, Jaina's heart soared as she stepped back with a blush. “Thank you again, I really did have a great time,” she said, quietly.”

Sylvanas could only nod as Vereesa and Rhonin retreated. “Me too. We should?”

“I’m free Tuesday night,” Jaina supplied.

“Tuesday,” Sylvanas nodded again, “Tuesday sounds good.”

“I’ll see you then,” Jaina turned then and hurried as best she could to her car. Once Sylvanas had closed the door to the house, Jaina brought a hand to her lips, all but melting into the seat with a giggle of pure joy. She couldn't wait until their next date. And the one after that and the one after--

She tried to calm herself as she began the drive home but it was a fruitless effort. Her mind drifted back to the elf constantly. Her smile, her eyes, just how kind she genuinely was. And now, her lips as well, soft and warm. Tuesday wasn't that far away, but it couldn't come around soon enough.


	7. Reasons to Come Home

Hardly a day went by where Jaina didn’t at least call Sylvanas. They would talk for hours about their days, plans for their next dates, or just nothing at all. More often than not, they would curl up for a movie on Vereesa's couch, or far more recently, Jainas. So often, in fact, that most of Sylvanas’ luggage had taken up residence in her living room.

Jaina had been apprehensive at first. Defensive, even. Letting people into her home was something that she didn’t do lightly. Even after moving out of the apartment she had shared with Vereesa, she had been wary of letting her friend in. It wasn’t something that had gone well for her in the past. Even now, she shuddered at the memories. A shudder that had Sylvanas pulling her closer to her side, placing a kiss on top of Jaina's head.

“You cold?” Sylvanas asked into her hair.

Jaina shook her head, turning carefully in their nest of blankets of the foot of her couch to tuck her head against her shoulder, “just thinking.”

Sylvanas hummed at that, pulling the blankets tighter around them, “what about?”

“Just how much I’m going to miss you,” Jaina replied after a moment. It wasn’t a total lie. Over the months they had been together, Jaina had grown used to Sylvanas’ near-constant company. To coming home to find her lounging on the couch or dozing on the balcony.

Sylvanas tilted Jaina's head up by gently cupping her chin to kiss her. “I promise I’ll fly to Dalaran every chance I get. Even if it’s only for a few days,” she murmured against her lips, “there is nothing I wouldn’t give for the chance to see you.”

Jaina smiled at that and kissed Sylvanas again, “then I best give you something worth coming back for.” After disentangling herself from the mess of blankets, Jaina used Sylvanas’ sturdy shoulder to help herself stand. With only a slight wince, she hobbled into her kitchen and pulled out a pot and an array of ingredients.

She didn’t startle like she used to when Sylvanas was suddenly behind her, wrapping her arms around Jaina's waist before resting her chin and Jaina's shoulder. “You don’t need to give me a reason to come back. You are more than enough reason on your own, Jaina,” Sylvanas said, softly, “you know that, don’t you?”

Jaina swallowed hard and nodded, “I know. I—” she sighed heavily through her nose, “I’m sorry. I’m trying to work on that it’s just—”

Sylvanas cut her off with a kiss to her cheek and a gently tightening of her arms, “I know. You don’t have to apologize for anything. Not to me.” She grinned as she looked over the ingredients, “I see you have pulled out chocolate and you know that is my weakness. What can I do to help?”

Jaina hummed in thought, looking over everything, “you can chop up the chocolate. Just be careful and try not to handle the chocolate too much.” When Sylvanas gave her an almost offended look, Jaina explained, “your hands are always really warm.”

“Never had someone complain about warm hands before,” Sylvanas teased.

Jaina jabbed her lighting in the ribs, “we don’t want the chocolate to melt before it goes into the cream.”

Sylvanas held up her hands in a pacifying gesture and laughed lightly as she moved to chop the chocolate, “alright, fair point. I will do my best to keep the chocolate as u melted as I can.”

While Sylvanas prepared the chocolate, Jaina brought the cream and milk up to a gentle simmer. She added sugar, mixed with cocoa powder, and scraped in the seeds from a vanilla bean before adding cinnamon and a touch of chilli pepper powder and salt. By the time she was done, Sylvanas had finished with the chocolate, “okay, now slowly add the chocolate while I whisk it.”

As the chocolate melted, Sylvanas moved ever closer to Jaina, until her chin was once more resting on the human's shoulder, “so what exactly are we making? It smells amazing.”

“Hot chocolate,” Jaina said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Bullshit,” Sylvanas scoffed, “hot chocolate comes in little pouches that you pour into microwaved milk.”

Jaina pulled away from Sylvanas, catching herself on the elf's quickly outstretched arm when she stumbled, “Sylvanas, even when I was broke in university I knew that that is not hot chocolate. Not real hot chocolate anyways.” She smiled when Sylvanas let out a breathy laugh and carefully pulled down two mugs, “my dad used to make this for me and my brothers all the time, well, when he wasn't deployed that is.”

Sylvanas frowned, “you say that in past tense like… he isn't around anymore,” she winced at her phrasing.

“What?” Jaina looked shocked for a moment before laughing, “oh, no, no he's fine. I just don't get much time to go home anymore and he is more of a homebody since he retired. Doesn't like to leave Boralus, much less Kul Tiras. Says he's traveled more than enough to last a lifetime.” Carefully, Jaina ladelled the drink into the mugs, “I promise I won’t be offended if you were to use some of the mini marshmallows from the top shelf,” she said as she grated a hint of nutmeg into eat mug. She only shook her head fondly when Sylvanas all but leaped at the opportunity to add yet even more sugar to her cocoa. “You elves and your sweet tooth,” she muttered as she carefully made her way back to the couch. Jaina cozied down against the plush cushions as she pulled up one of the blankets to wrap around them once Sylvanas had settled in next to her.

Sylvanas took a sip of the steaming drink, her ears peeking up in delight, “this is amazing, Jaina!”

“Thank you,” Jaina said, taking a sip of her own, allowing the flavours to wash over her tongue, “still not as good as my dads but I think it’s getting closer.” She turned on her tv, flicking through the selection of movies the installed app presented her, “what are you feeling tonight?”

Sylvanas hummed in thought, “I’m feeling sci-fi. The one with all the Draenei fighting the Goblin miners?”

“Very specific,” Jaina drawled even as she queued up the movie. It was a movie that Jaina had seen a few times before, critically acclaimed, though for the life of her she couldn’t remember much about it.

By the time it was done, their mugs had long since been emptied and Sylvanas leaned tiredly against Jaina, eyes heavy as she struggled to stay awake. Jaina shook her shoulder to wake her as she stood up, “come on, Sylv.” When Sylvanas only blinked at her in confusion, she added, “to bed?” That seemed to have the elf fully alert. They hadn’t slept together since the night at Vereesas. Every time that Sylvanas had stayed the night, she had relegated herself to the couch, content to give Jaina her space.

Not tonight.

Jaina took Sylvanas’ hand with a gentle tug, leading her down the hall and into her room. “You have a long flight tomorrow. I’m not going to make you sleep on the couch before you have to suffer through that.”

“You didn’t force me to sleep there,” Sylvanas defended, her ears flicking back as she moved to her duffle bag on the far side of Jaina's room, “I didn’t want to feel overwhelmed.”

“That’s... very thoughtful. Thank you,” Jaina said, changing into a pair of comfortable pajamas. She didn’t turn around until she was sure that Sylvanas had changed as well. before she pulled back the covers, Jaina looked Sylvanas over in the dim light that shone through her window, her hair loose and messy, tank top sleeve hanging off one shoulder and a small smile curling her lips. Jaina could hardly believe how much she looked like she belonged here in her room. She waited for Sylvanas to get comfortable before she climbed in next to her. She had to lay with her back pressed against Sylvanas’ chest in order to keep pressure off of her knee. She let out a contented sigh when Sylvanas draped an arm over her stomach, pulling her just a bit closer before nuzzling her face into Jaina's hair. “You’re just giving me more reasons to miss you,” she mumbled sleepily.

“Sorry,” Sylvanas smiled as she drifted off to sleep, “I’ll miss you too.”

____________________________________________________

They met Vereesa and the twins at the airport with the rest of Sylvanas’ luggage. She pulled both Jaina and Sylvanas into a hug that was quickly joined by her boys. Vereesa pressed her nose into her sister's shoulder, “you tell Lirath to get his ass down here to visit me. I don’t get to see nearly enough of him.”

Sylvanas chuckled as she stepped back, “I’ll try my best.” She crouched down and ruffled both the boy's hair, “and you two, be good to your mother,” she ordered, her voice holding a hint of warming.

“We will Aunt ‘Nas,” the twins chimed in unison.

Before moving on to Jaina, Sylvanas dug through her duffle bag, pulling out her jersey from the invitationals. “Don’t worry, I washed it,” she said with a grin, handing it to Jaina. She let out a grunt of surprise when Jaina pulled her into a fierce hug. Sylvanas wrapped Jaina in a warm embrace, rubbing soothing circles on her back, “don’t worry, I’ll be back before you know it.”

“You better be,” Jaina choked out, tightening her hold, “I have grown very fond of you.”

“Me too,” Sylvanas whispered. All too soon, Sylvanas was pulling back, cupping Jaina's face to rub her tears away with her thumbs before pulling her in for a kiss, “and I promise that I’ll be as safe as I can.”

“You’d better. I’ll be watching every game to make sure you keep that promise,” Jaina said as she shuffled back, pulling on the jersey. “Text me when your plane lands, got it?”

“I’ll call you,” Sylvanas promised. Retrieving her luggage, Sylvanas allowed herself to be pulled into one last group hug before she made her way to security.

When her sister was out of sight, Vereesa wrapped an arm around Jaina's shoulder, easing her towards the exit. “I’m really happy for you, Jaina,” she said with a soft smile, “I haven’t seen you like this in far too long.” Vereesa chewed at her lip, “she is treating you right, right? Because I swear if she isn’t I will fly to Quel’Thalas myself and beat her ass all the way to Zul’aman!” Her eyes widened a fraction and she looked down at her boys, “you two are never to repeat that, understand?”

“Yes, Mom,” they promised solemnly.

Parental work accomplished, Vereesa turned back to Jaina, her ears flicking back, “you would tell me, right?”

“She has been nothing but great to me,” Jaina assures her friend. A fond smile crossed her lips, “I really like her, Vereesa, and I don’t plan on letting her go. I hope you’re okay with that.”

“I already have two sisters, what’s one more?” Vereesa joked with a fanged grin, laughing brightly when Jaina blushed. After loading the twins into the backseat, Vereesa turned to Jaina, her eyes sharp, “but, honestly Jaina, you would tell me if she was being wretched, right?”

“I trust that if you thought she would treat me badly, that you wouldn’t have let her near me in the first place,” Jaina said, giving her friends arm a reassuring squeeze, “but I promise I will.”

“Good. That’s good,” Vereesa nodded, staring down at the pavement, “I just worry. I didn’t see any of the signs before and…”

“We were both young and stupid,” Jaina said, dropping her hand down to hold Vereesa’s, “you shouldn’t blame yourself. I don’t.”

“I know. I know just,” Vereesa pulled Jaina into a tight hug, “you deserve to be happy, Jaina. You really do.”

“I am,” Jaina smiled, “I really am.”


	8. Some Game

Jaina had never been more invested in a hockey team in her life. Every game, she was at Vereesas, packed into the living room with her friend’s family. The five of them cheered so loud, so enthusiastically, that on more than one occasion Jaina feared the neighbours would file a noise complaint.

Three months into the season and the Farstriders were undefeated. It was an amazing feat, and from what Jaina had been told, a vast improvement over previous seasons. And this latest game against Stormwind was shaping up to be just another victory. The Farstriders had a strong opening in the first period, leading the game three-to-nothing. It was an amazing show of skill and Jaina could hardly believe that Sylvanas had actually been worried about it. The elves skated circles around the Stormwind players. The second period brought them up to a tie. Jaina was on the edge of her seat after one of the dwarven players slammed Sylvanas into the boards to keep her away from the puck.

At the beginning of the third period, the Lions changed out one of their forwards for a rookie, an elf with ‘Sanguinar’ emblazoned on the back of her jersey. She was terribly agile and even through the feed Jaina could see the smirk the elf wore. She single-handedly snatched away the Farstrider's advantage of their silent signals and forced them onto the defensive.

Even more worrying was just how easily she managed to slip the puck past Liadrin time and again. The other Stormwind players shifted their attention to doing anything they could to keep the Farstriders away from Sanguinar who repeatedly charged the net with the puck. As the clock ticked down, the Lions pulled further and further ahead until the buzzer sounded.

Jaina felt her heart sink as she looked at the final score. Seven-to-four for the Stormwind Lions. The Farstriders had lost. Jainas' world became muted as that settled in. Sylvanas had lost and would be on her way back to Dalaran as soon as she could.

“Jaina?” Vereesa shook her friend slightly, “you alright?”

“Fine,” Jaina swallowed against the dryness of her throat, “some game, eh?” She gripped the armrest tightly as leverage and stood up on trembling legs, “excuse me, I should be getting home.”

Vereesa stood quickly to try and stop her friend as she hobbled her way to the door. “Jaina, wait! Jaina!” she reached out and gently grabbed her wrist, “stay. You can just stay here tonight.”

“Let me go, Vereesa,” Jaina breathed out, pulling her wrist free, “I have to get home.” She couldn't bring herself to look at Vereesa as she leaned against the wall while she struggled to pull on her boots. “I’ll text you when I get home,” she said as she closed the door.

The drive home was a blur for Jaina. One moment she was starting her car, the next she was pulling into the lot behind her building. She slipped on a patch of ice in her rush to get inside, catching herself harshly on a railing outside the building door, gritting her teeth to bite back her cry of pain.

She didn't have time for this. Sylvanas would be on the earliest flight that she could get and Jaina had to prepare. After removing her coat and boots, Jaina turned to her lamp and removed the shade with trembling hands. She wouldn't be caught unprepared, couldn't. After tucking the shade into the closet of her spare room, Jaina returned to her living room and looked around. With a look of grim acceptance, Jaina set about packing away her things as best she could.

She would be ready.

__________________________________________________________________________

Sylvanas grumbled out an exhausted ‘thanks’ as she closed the door of the cab. Her flight had been mere hours after the game and she had barely had time to wash the stink of losing away. Losing was never easy, but it was a reality of the game. It wouldn’t do her any good to dwell on it more than the team already had, so she shoved it to the back of her mind in favour of a more enjoyable thought.

Seeing Jaina.

It had almost been a month since the last time she had been able to get back to Dalaran and she was beginning to feel it. Like a deep pang in her chest that she could hardly ignore. The rest of the team had taken to making fun of Sylvanas, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. Espesially not now that she had something important to ask Jaina.

Hoisting her bag onto her shoulder, Sylvanas ignored the elevator and made for the stairwell, taking the steps two at a time. She had just reached Jaina's floor when her phone buzzed in her pocket with a text from her sister.

_ Are you going to see Jaina??? _

Sylvanas rolled her eyes. What a ridiculous question.

_ Of course I am. She’s the only reason I come back here ;p _

Silencing her phone, Sylvanas unlocked the door to the apartment and let herself in. It was silent inside, and all of the lights were off. Sylvanas fumbled for the light switch, frowning at the small desk lamp on the table near the door. The stained glass shade with the tall ship motif was missing.

Ears pressed back with concern, Sylvanas made her way further inside. More things were missing, wherever she looked. A photo here, a vase there. Most notably, and most concerning, was that Jainas TV was gone. Panic bubbled up in her chest as she hurried down the hall to Jaina's room. There were no signs of a break-in or any form of struggle, but Sylvanas couldn’t stop her mind from thinking the worst.

She all but threw open the door in her rush to get into Jaina's room. To make sure that she was safe. There, huddled up under the blankets, sound asleep, was Jaina. Sylvanas let out a breath that she didn’t know she was holding and crossed the room to sit on the bed behind Jaina. She reached out to brush a strand of hair from her shoulder but froze when Jaina stiffened at the contact.

“Jaina?” Sylvanas said cautiously. When the human gave no response, Sylvanas stood and slowly rounded the bed. She crouched down on the floor, trying to get a better look at Jaina, only to find that she had her face hidden in the blanket. Once more, Jaina flinched when Sylvanas reached out to touch her, an action that shot worry and guilt straight to her gut. It was clear then, that for whatever reason, Jaina was afraid of her. She swallowed hard, unsure of what to do. “Okay,” Sylvanas said quietly, “okay no touching. Can you move the blanket so that we can talk?” It felt like hours before Jaina finally moved the blanket and Sylvanas felt her heartbreak. Hair a disheveled mess, dark shadows beneath redrimmed eyes that seemed to look everywhere but at Sylvanas. Sylvanas forced a smile, “hey beautiful.”

Sylvanas wasn’t expecting an answer so she didn’t wait for one, “I have to ask, did you… did you think I was going to hurt you?” Jaina's eyes widened a fraction and Sylvanas took that as confirmation. “Did someone hurt you before?”

Jaina nodded once before choking out, “I’m sorry.”

Sylvanas blinked, “you’re sorry? I’m the one who should be sorry. You’re terrified and here I come barging in like a madwoman.” It took all of her self control to stop herself from demanding a name. From marching out of the apartment to hunt down whoever had dared to lay a hand on Jaina.

“Because I shouldn’t have let that thought even cross my mind,” Jaina said, uncurling herself from what Sylvanas now realized had been a defensive position. “I know you aren’t like that. You aren’t like him!”

“Hey, shh shhh. Calm down,” Sylvanas soothed, drawing back when Jaina still shied away from her touch. She kept her hands where Jaina could see them and shuffled back, “tell me what you want me to do, Jaina. Do you need me to leave? Would that help you? I can go and stay at Vereesas, or book myself into a motel, whatever will make you more comfortable.”

“Please stay,” Jaina said, her voice cracking slightly, “not in here, but, please don’t leave me.”

Sylvanas nodded, “okay, it's okay I’ll stay on the couch, don’t worry.” She looked Jaina over, her eyes landing on her knee, still hidden beneath the blanket, “did you strain your knee when you moved the TV?” She asked, earning her a small nod, “okay. I’ll get you some pain medicine and then I’m going to make you some food.” She didn’t wait for Jaina to respond before getting up to do just that.

She returned quickly, passing Jaina two little pills and a bottle of water. “You’ll have to tell me where you stored the dishes and glasses so I can feed you,” Sylvanas said softly.

“Spare room,” Jaina mumbled tiredly.

“Okay. Finish that water, I’ll be back with your dinner.” Sylvanas had never been in the spare room. The door was always closed and she knew better than to ask about it. It felt wrong when she opened the door, like she was trespassing, but there was nothing to be done about it.

The spare room could only be described as very ‘Jaina’. Tall bookshelves lined with old books on every subject and genre. A scattering of dusty knick-knacks and old memories. The TV was pressed back against a desk and Sylvanas was momentarily impressed with how far Jaina managed to get it on her own, but she quickly sobered and began her search for the dishes.

There were a few boxes all stacked in a corner and Sylvanas crouched down to check in the first one. The dishes weren’t in the box, instead, she found medals, heaps of them piled on top of a few figureless trophies. A few bronze, but mostly silvers and golds, she reached in and pulled out one of the gold medals, turning it slowly in her hands. While Jaina's name was still etched proudly across its surface, whatever it had been awarded for had been harshly scratched away. She ran her thumb over the gouges and frowned. Something must have really upset her to deface this many achievements.

Sylvanas placed the medal back in the box with far more care than it had been originally. Her mind was awash with questions that she knew to keep to herself. She opened the next box carefully and sighed in relief when she saw that it contained the dishes. She was uncomfortable sitting amongst Jainas's past without her express permission.

Taking the box with her, Sylvanas went to the kitchen. Something simple yet filling was the meal of the night and she knew just what. Butter, bread, mustard, lettuce, and thick-cut bologna. She cut little slits in the bologna to keep it flat while she fried it. Before tossing the bread in the toaster.

Sylvanas tried to focus on her task, on caring for Jaina, but anger bubbled foully in her gut. Just the thought that someone could be so cruel to hurt Jaina set her teeth on edge. She took a deep, calming breath, forcing the rage down. Jaina didn’t need that, didn’t need Sylvanas to rage over something that she couldn’t fix.

She assembled the two sandwiches, cutting Jainas diagonally the way she liked, before returning to the bedroom. Jaina had turned on the bedside lamp and was sitting up against the headboard, which Sylvanas took as a good sign as she placed Jainas plate on the bed next to her before settling herself on the floor beside Jaina. Close enough that she could keep an eye on her, but with enough distance that Jaina wouldn’t feel crowded.

“You’re too good to me,” Jaina mumbled after a time, chewing away at the second half of her sandwich.

“Nonsense,” Sylvanas said, “no one is too good for you, Jaina. If anything you are too good for me. You are so brave, and strong and you don’t even realize it.”

“I don’t feel very much of either of those things,” Jaina handed her plate to Sylvanas when she was done, sinking back into her bed. “I should have told you, I’m sorry.”

“Your past is yours to tell or not,” Sylvanas assured her, “you shouldn’t feel obligated to explain yourself to me, especially not right now.” She rounded the bed to collect her pillow, offering Jaina a smile, “get some sleep, Jaina, we can talk in the morning if that’s what you want. I’ll be on the couch if you need me.” She closed the door behind her, waiting for the light to go out before pressing her forehead to the cool wood.

Slowly, she turned to the spare room. Jaina didn’t need to wake up to have to put her home back together. While Sylvanas couldn’t do much in terms of comforting her girlfriend, this much, this one little kindness, was something that she knew she could do.


	9. Breakaway

It was fairly late in the day when Jaina finally managed to drag herself out of bed. As much as she would have preferred to stay cozied away for the rest of the day, she had to put her apartment back together and she knew that leaving it for too long would only make it worse. Testing her weight carefully, she rose from her bed and slowly made her way into the hall. It took her longer than it should have but her knee twinged angrily whenever she but just a little too much wait on it. She dreaded the thought of having to move her TV back but it was a problem she had made herself.

She must have made some noise to indicate that she had woken up, for the smell of food wafted down the hall and Jaina put an extra hop in her gait to hurry her way to the kitchen. When she got to the kitchen, Sylvanas was standing at the stove, frying something in a pan. She turned her head and offered Jaina a small smile, “morning, Jaina. Or, afternoon. I didn’t want to wake you, figured you needed the rest.” Her ears flicked back and she turned fully to face Jaina, hands fidgeting at her sides, “can I… can I hold you? It’s okay if you don’t want me to but after… I just want to be sure that you’re okay.”

Jaina didn’t respond with words. She limped over to the elf and wrapped her arms around her tightly. She pressed her face into Sylvanas’ shoulder, “I’m sorry.”

Sylvanas hesitated before gently wrapping her arms around Jaina, “I told you before, you don’t have to apologize to me for anything.” She ushered Jaina over to the kitchen table and sat her down, “but I won’t let you turn down breakfast.” Once breakfast was ready, she returned to the table to two plates of food. Fried eggs, peameal bacon and a good helping of beans.

Jaina tried her best to enjoy her food, it was really good, and just so thoughtful. The beans and the bacon were one of her favourite flavour combination, sweet and salty, and she normally would have eaten with great enthusiasm. But her mind was awash with thoughts and memories that had her slowly picking away at it instead. “He wasn’t always abusive to me,” Jaina found herself saying as she absently pushed the last bite of bacon through the sauce of the beans, “my ex, I mean.” She glanced at Sylvanas to see her ears flick forward. “When we first started dating he was great. Charming, even. But… when he got drafted to the Paladins he changed or maybe he stopped putting on his act, I don’t know. It was subtle at first, I hardly noticed. He would lose his temper so easily, start yelling and throwing things around, breaking them,” she clenched her fists tightly to stop them from shaking, “nothing I did was ever good enough. The apartment was never clean enough, the food I made was to dry or bland. He always told me that I should put more effort into my looks and when I did it still wasn’t enough for him. I blamed myself for a long time.” She drew in a shuddering breath and chanced a glance at Sylvanas as she continued, quieter, “it was after the first game his team lost, that was the first time he hit me.”

“That’s why,” Sylvanas breathed, fury and understanding burning in her eyes, “you thought I was going to hurt you… because I lost.”

Jaina nodded, shoving her plate aside, “yeah, that’s why.” She closed her eyes tightly, dragging her fingers through her hair, “I let it go on for way too long.”

“You didn’t—”

“I did. I knew what he was doing and that it wasn’t okay, deep down, but I couldn’t bring myself to leave him. I hid it from everyone. From Vereesa, my parents… I would just smile and say how much I cared about him and that everything was fine. He tried to get me to move to Lordaeron, to get me away from Rhonin and my friend Kalec,” she swallowed hard, “he thought I was cheating on him, that I was sleeping with every guy I knew. I came home one day and he had packed up my room, told me that we were moving to Lordaeron that day so that I would stop sleeping around with every guy I met. That was the tipping point. I snapped, told him I wasn’t going anywhere with him and lashed out when he tried to take a swing at me. After that… it’s all a blur. I remember Vereesa screaming and Rhonin pulling me into the hallway, trying to calm me down and the pain in my fingers and all the cops milling about,” Jaina looked up at Sylvanas, “apparently I hit him. Fractured a couple of fingers. Which is far better than I could have been if they hadn’t come home when they did.” She rubbed furiously at her eyes, trying to stop the tears that she could feel running down her face. “I’m sorry,” Jaina tugged lightly at her hair, hoping the slight pinpricks of pain would help to stop her tears, “it’s still hard to talk about it, but after last night… fuck… it was all so long ago and I should be over this by now. I shouldn’t be letting this affect you, you’re too good for that. I’m sorry.”

“No,” Sylvanas said, “you don’t have to ‘get over’ this. Jaina you went through a terrible experience, you’re more than allowed to still be upset about it. No one can or should try and take that away from you.” Jaina could only nod numbly, an action that had Sylvanas moving to kneel beside her. She took Jainas's hand and rubbed her knuckles soothingly, “you can still be angry or scared and I will be right here in whatever way you need me. Be that here or as far away from you as you wish. And I would understand completely if you wanted to end this,” she motioned between them and gave Jaina a sad little smile, “whatever you think is best for you.”

“Thank you,” Jaina whispered. It took a moment for her thoughts to fully catch up to what Sylvanas had said. “Wait,” she shifted in her chair so that she could get a better look at Sylvanas, “do you really think I want to break up with you?”

Sylvanas’ ears flicked back, “like I said, whatever you think is best for you. If that means you just being friends, I’ll be okay with that.”

“And what if staying with you is what I think is best for me?” Jaina ran the fingers of her free hand through Sylvanas’ messy hair, scratching lightly at the base of her skull, “you have been so good to me, so patient and understanding. I would be a fool to let you go.” She smiled, a true smile full of warm tenderness as she wiped her cheeks on Sylvanas’ shirt, “help me to the couch?”

Using Sylvanas as her crutch, Jaina hopped over to the couch and sat down, grabbing Sylvanas’ wrist when she tried to leave, “the dishes can wait, Sylvanas. I need you over here with me.” She was quiet as Sylvanas got herself comfortable on the couch, her legs curled up on her cushion so that she could rest her head on Jainas lap, “you didn’t have to drag all of my things back out, you know.”

“I know,” Sylvanas agreed, “but it was the least I could do,” she shifted to get more comfortable.

Jaina couldn’t help but think that she looked like an oversized cat in that moment, the comparison bringing a smile to her face. Running her fingers through that silver-blonde hair, Jaina found the spot behind Sylvanas’ ear that the elf seemed to enjoy being rubbed and did just that, pressing her thumb against it in slow circles. “I’m not breaking up with you,” Jaina reiterated, her voice firmer than it had been, “just… just maybe,” she trailed off.

Sylvanas flicked her ear to get Jaina to stop, blinking the haze from her eyes, “maybe I should just stay at Vereesa's if I lose? I can do that, for sure, but I want you to text me and let me know that you’re alright.”

Jaina nodded, it was all she could do. She had been sure that this request would have been one to be scoffed at. That she would be told that she was being ridiculous. But no, Sylvanas had responded as if that was the most obvious thing in the world. Of course she wouldn’t come around if that might upset Jaina, of course she wouldn’t. Jaina wanted to thank her but she knew that it would just be waved off. Instead, as she started up a show they had been watching, an older series about a wandering dog, she asked, “what happened in that game? You were doing so well.”

“The Lions management are a bunch of sneaky bastards,” Sylvanas huffed dramatically, “no one knew they had an elf on their team. All they said was that they had a new rookie, and they kept her benched until now. We weren’t prepared to have all our signals called out, and Liadrin certainly wasn’t prepared to have a pretty little elf flirt with her every time they got close enough to be heard. Belore, I swear that woman to so useless it hurts.”

Jaina laughed, the sound filling the room, chasing away what shadows still lingered I their minds, “she was actually flirting with her?”

Sylvanas winced, “well, flirting would be putting it lightly. I swear, the filth that was coming out of that girl's mouth would make a mountain blush.” Jaina was laughing again and Sylvanas couldn’t help but join in. It felt good, really good, to laugh. As it petered out into soft chuckles, Sylvanas spoke again, “we’re going to bench her as a precaution for any future Stormwind games while we try and convince Kael to get Sanguinar traded to us.”

They fell once more into a comfortable silence. The show was long forgotten as sleep threatened to claim them both for a well-deserved nap. Sylvanas jolted awake, startling Jaina, “I forgot that I had to ask you something.” She rolled over so that she could look up at the human, “Winterveil is coming up next month and I was wondering if you wanted to come up to Quel’Thalas with me. I may have mentioned to my mother that I was seeing someone and she may have become very insistent that I bring them home with me.” She reached up to play with a strand of Jaina’s hair, smiling softly, “it’s perfectly fine if you don’t want to. We just started dating and the ‘‘meet the parents’ thing maybe a little too soon for you, but I would really like it if you came.” Her ears twitched, “but, like, don’t feel obligated to say yes, I know you said you don’t get to see your family often so if you’d rather go and spend it with them—”

“My parents taking a cruise for the holiday,” Jaina interrupted, “and even if they weren’t, I think I would rather spend it with you.”

“So… that’s a yes?”

Jaina laughed, “yes you silly elf, that’s a yes.”


	10. To the North

Jaina awoke with a startled gasp. Her vision was blurred by a mixture of sleep and residual fear. Her face was pressed against something soft and warm, or rather, someone. That realization drove a spike of panic through her mind and she began to struggle to get away from them, only to be held firmly in place by the arm that had been wrapped around her shoulders.

“Shh, Jaina,” Vereesa murmured as she rubbed her arm, “you’re alright. You’re safe.” She shifted in her seat so that she could hold Jaina closer, “do you know where you are?”

Jaina squeezes her eyes shut as she tried to remember, “a plane. I… I took a sleeping pill to keep my mind off my leg being cramped and then,” she shuddered, digging her fingers into Vereesa’s shirt.

“Just a nightmare,” Vereesa soothed softly, glancing around to make sure that no one was staring at them. “I’m sorry, Jaina. If I had been thinking about it I would have packed something else to help you.”

Jaina nodded and glanced out the window, “we landed?”

“Just now,” Vereesa nodded, “if it’s easier, I’ll wait here with you and we can get off after everyone else.”

Once the plane was mostly empty, Vereesa helped Jaina from her seat, retrieving her cane for her before leaving. Jaina had to use the seats to steady herself the whole way down the aisle. Her knee felt like a rusted hinge that Jaina had to force to work. She should have been excited about travelling to a new country, but Jaina instead found herself dreading the flight home. And missing Sylvanas.

As if reading her thoughts, Vereesa pulled her into a one-armed hug as they caught up with Rhonin and the twins. “She’ll be in this evening,” she reminded her friend, guiding her through the airport with practiced ease.

Jaina blushed, “you make me sound obsessed with her.”

“No, but I’ll admit, you two are cute together,” Vereesa beamed. “Right, Hun?”

“Positively adorable,” Rhonin agreed. He was jolted forward as the twins shoved past him with an excited cheer of ‘Granpa!’

A tall elf stood near the luggage belt and knelt quickly to catch the two boys with a bright laugh. His golden hair was neatly trimmed and his face clean-shaven. Tanris Windrunner was dressed comfortably in a pair of slacks and a woollen sweater under a thick winter coat. He stood in time to catch his daughter as she hurried over. “Lovely to see you as well, my Little Moon.” Without a word, he helped Jaina shrug into her coat before taking her bag, “we still have a few hours to go to get home so let’s hurry up.”

The van into which they all piled into was far roomier than the plane had been and Jaina gratefully stretched her leg out. Years of travel as a child had Jaina's eyes drooping as she was pulled into another fitful sleep. When she awoke once more, in a far calmer manner than she had on the plane, it was to see that they had parked in the driveway of a large well kept farmhouse.

Jaina got out and followed the carefully trodden path through the snow and into the warmth of the house in time to see the boys running inside after greeting their grandmother.

Lireesa Windrunner was the type of mother to always have an extra spot at the table for the friends of her children. When Jaina had first met her when she had helped Vereesa and herself move into their tiny apartment in Dalaran, she had all but adopted Jaina on the spot. She was a kind woman, black hair streaked through with touches of silver, laugh lines and faint crows feet around her eyes that crinkled whenever she smiled.

Which of often.

“Jaina,” Lireesa opened her arms to offer an embrace that Jaina gladly accepted, “it's wonderful to see you again.”

“You too, Mrs. Windrunner,” Jaina beamed. And it was, truly. Lireesa has helped her almost as much as her own mother had, even more than her own in some cases.

“Honestly, Jaina,” Lireesa stepped back, placing her hands on Jaina's shoulders, “how many times must I tell you, call me Lireesa.” She glanced down at Jaina's cane, “new cane?”

Another thing that Jaina adores about the older woman. She never tried to pretend that Jaina's cane or her injury didn’t exist. It was refreshing, to not have someone awkwardly beating around it. “The standard aluminium one didn’t suit me,” Jaina responded with a smile, “this one was made from a plank from an old ship.”

“Ah, much more fitting for a Kul Tiran,” Lireesa nodded, “though, might I suggest switching it out for a ski pole?”

“It’s nice to see you too, Mom,” Vereesa interrupted with a pout that would put puppies to shame. She sighed contently when her mother pulled her into a hug, “missed you.”

“I missed you too,” Lireesa gave her an extra squeeze, “now, go get everyone settled while I steal your husband to help with dinner, I want it ready by the time everyone else arrives.”

“Who are you still expecting?” Jaina asked.

“My eldest and her son, I don’t think you’ve met them,” Lireesa started, “Sylvanas and her girlfriend. I’m very excited to meet her, Sylvanas never brings girls home.”

Jaina frowned and was about to mention that she was Sylvanas’ girlfriend when Vereesa looped her arm around Jaina's waist and pulled her away and up to the bedrooms. “What was that about?” Jaina asked after Vereesa shut them away in, what she assumed, was Sylvanas’ room. “Why did no one tell your mother?”

Vereesa only answered once she got her laughter under control, “Sylvanas thought our mother would just assume that you were her girlfriend and I thought it would be hilarious when she didn’t.”

Jaina could help but laugh, “you’re terrible, do you know that?”

“Well, I do try,” Vereesa beamed.

Shaking her head, Jaina took her bag and placed it on the bed, “I don’t know how your parent's managers to deal with the two of you.” She nudged Vereesa playfully as she passed, “I’m going to help your mother with dinner, don’t cause too much trouble.”

Lireesa was alone in the kitchen by the time Jaina got down to it. Her brow furrowed in confusion, “where did the guys go?”

“Off to the train station to pick up my girls,” Lireesa answered, not looking up from the pot of rich sauce she was stirring.

“Put me to work then,” Jaina leaned her cane against the island, rolling up her sleeves.

“Jaina, you are a guest. I couldn’t possibly—“

“These potatoes still need to be mashed?” Jaina didn’t wait for an answer as she set about doing just that. They worked together in companionable silence. Passing utensils and ingredients back and forth until the meal was ready.

Roast beef, potatoes, a medley of vegetables and a steaming boat of gravy.

As if summoned by the alluring smell, the front door burst open to allow entry to the remained of the Windrunner family. A woman that could only have been Alleria strode in, greeting her mother with a quick kiss on the cheek. She pushed a boy, her son, close to Lireesa to greet his grandmother before disappearing to her room to unload.

And hot in her heel, was Sylvanas. Her face positively lit up when she saw Jaina but before she could go to her, Lireesa stepped into her space. She peered around Sylvanas with a critical eye, even going so far as to step outside to look around. Finally, she asked, “so where is this girl you have told me nothing about?”

Sylvanas blinked in confusion before simply pointing to Jaina. Realization dawned slowly, but once it did, Lireesa pulled both Sylvanas and Jaina into a tight embrace. “Welcome home.”

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Dinner was a far more exciting than Jaina would have guessed a family dinner could be. The Windrunner siblings bickered and fought over the most ridiculous things while their mother made subtle, yet playful, threats for them to behave. The twin would excitedly tell their cousin about all of the things they learned over the summer while Arator, ever patience, would smile and nod, trying his best to engage them. At no point did Jaina feel left out, or out of place. The whole family was just so welcoming.

Sylvanas and Allerias fight eventually reached the point that Lireesa set aside her tea with a heavy sigh, “will you two just finish your fight the way you always do.”

Sylvanas’ ears perked up at that, “you have it set up?”

“Of course I do,” Lireesa scoffed, “who do you think I am?”

The siblings all bolted for the door in a rush to get dressed before vanishing out into the snow around the house, quickly followed by the children. Jaina stared, dumbfounded. “What exactly did you set up?” She asked, following Lireesa to the door.

“A rink,” came the reply as Lireesa dig around in a closet near the back door. With a wry smile, she handed Jaina what she had found. A ski pole.

Jaina accepted it with a chuckle and ventured out into the yard. Sure enough, a small ice rink had been constructed near the deck. Sylvanas was helping the twins into matching sets of old worn pads and helmets while Lirath skated around, handing out battered sticks. Rhonin passed by, looking all to uneasy on his skates as he made his way over to Vereea’s side of the rink.

Sylvanas made a beeline for Jaina as soon as she got close to the ice, leaning over for a quick kiss. “Come play with us,” she asked.

“Oh I,” Jaina fumbled over her words, “I can’t skate. You go and have fun.”

Sylvanas pouted for only a moment before relenting, “cheer me on, then?”

Jaina laughed, “I really don’t think you need me cheering for you. This seems a bit one-sided.”

“What?” Sylvanas grinned, “you mean because they stuck me with all the children? I’m sure I’ll manage.” With another quick kiss, she was off.

Sylvanas was going easy on her siblings, that much Jaina could see. She hung back just enough to let the twins take the charge and only really interfered to ensure their goals and to assist Arator with a save. After the third goal against them, Alleria seemed to grow fed up with losing as she skated towards Sylvanas and, careful of their skates, tackled her sister off the ice and into the snow.

“Alright, girls,” Tanris called, “that's enough of that. Put your gear away and come join me and your mother by the fire!”

Fire? Jaina's confusion must have been obvious as Rhonin skated over to her. “The bonfire,” he explained, taking Jainas outstretched hand to plot down in a chair, “they have one every year. Banishes the cold when their goddess cannot and burning away the hardships of the year.”

“That's beautiful,” Jaina smiled, following after him. She could hear the elves scrambling to catch up. Just around the side of the house and past a row of snow-laden fruit tree, has the fire. Lireesa was circling it, arranging chairs and setting up little tables. Jaina flopped down in one of the chairs, leaning down to rub at her knee. The cold was always hard on her, made all of her joints stiff, not just her knee.

She watched as everyone else settled in. Vereesa and Rhonin had taken up a large chair next to their children, who were already preparing marshmallows. Lirath had found an old guitar and was currently playing a soothing tune while Alleria leaned against him, tapping out a counterbeat on her chair.

She jumped slightly when Sylvanas forced herself into the chair with her. It was far to small for both of them but they made it work. Fumbling slightly, Sylvanas opened a thermos to pour a warm drink into two tin cups. “Apple cider,” she explained, “my dad makes it at the end of his little harvest.”

“Ah, so that's what those trees are,” Jaina hmmed, taking a sip of the drink. She blinked in surprise, taking another long sip. Jaina had never had homemade apple cider before, and after only two sips, she knew that she would never be able to go back to store-bought.

Sylvanas let out a quiet laugh as she wrapped her free arm around Jaina to snuggle in close to her, “I’ll make sure that he sends you home with a bottle.” Her laughter grew when Jaina downed the rest of her cup and poured herself another, “maybe two?”

“I would appreciate that,” Jaina smiled. “Thank you,” she said quietly. She didn't want to be heard over Alleria, who was currently regaling the twins with a story of her latest assignment photographing mountain yaks in Pandaria.

“For what?”

“For inviting me,” Jaina replied, “for letting me meet your family.”

“You deserve to have a good vacation, and if spending time with my crazy family makes it a good one then I’m glad.”

“Not crazy,” Jaina shook her head, “they're just right.”


	11. Snowday

In the first few days that Jaina spent in Quel’Thalas, she learned that it wasn’t just hockey that made that cold of winter tolerable for the elves. As it turned out, the mere presence of snow was more than enough to make them all forget about how cold it was. They tried to cram as much outdoor fun as they could, and Jaina was always involved in one way or another.

That was why she was now sat snuggly behind Sylvanas on a snowmobile, towing a trailer behind them laden with sleds of the rest of the family. “So, this place, is there really a hill in the middle of this forest?” Jaina called over the sound of the engine.

“Only the single best hill in all of Quel’Thalas,” Sylvanas boasted proudly.

The trees parted and a gasp of wonder fell from Jaina's lips. A steep hill sloped down into a large clearing of pristine snow. Sylvanas slowed to a stop along the tree line and Jaina eased herself down into the snow with only a slight wince. The days spent out in the cold had allowed a deep, persistent ache to settle in her knee that she had been doing her best to hide. The last thing Jaina wanted was to cause worry to this wonderful family.

Still, she gratefully accepted her borrowed ski pole from Arator before pulling his hat down over his eyes with a laugh. She navigated the carefully trodden path that Sylvanas and Alleria had made for her to the back of the trailer to help unload the toboggans.

“Aunt Jaina!” Giramar cheered.

Galadin rounded the trailer pulling their sleigh, “come up and sled with us!”

“Oh,” Jaina kneeled down as best she could, “I don’t think that is something I can do. But you two go and enjoy yourselves.”

“Nonsense,” Sylvanas said, pulling one of the larger sleds off of the trailer, a sturdy one with a comfortable padded seat. She grinned wider and motioned for Jaina to get on, “I’ll pull you up,” she offered as the twins began pulling their own sleds up the hill.

Even as Sylvanas helped her lower herself into the seat of the sled, Jaina was doubtful. “It’s really fine,” she said, “I’m heavier than I look, I don’t want you hurting yourself just to include me.”

“You aren’t heavy,” was all Sylvanas said before she began pulling Jaina up the hill. Every step was carefully measured, not wanting to slip and send Jaina backwards back down the hill. Once at the top, Sylvanas climbed on behind Jaina and slide the sled back and forth, “you ready?” She didn't give Jaina time to respond before she sent them rocketing down the hill.

Once at the bottom, Jaina rolled herself out of the sled, laughing, “I haven't been sledding since I was a kid!”

“Again?” Sylvanas asked, flashing her fangs in a grin.

“Yes!”

__________________________________________________________________

They sledded until Sylvanas was far too tired to pull Jaina up the hill, which was fine by Jaina. Vereesa had been helping the boys build a small army of little snowmen and Jaina was more than happy to lend a hand. The army grew ever larger and their expansion was only halted when a snowball meant for Vereesa sailed across the field and hit Jaina square in the back. Jaina turned slowly, her eyes honing in on Alleria, who quickly tossed the snowball she was holding onto to her son, “Arator! Why would you do that?”

Without a word, Jaina stabbed her ski pole into the snow, easing most of her weight onto her good leg as she scooped up a handful to pack into a tight ball, “you have no idea what you have started, Windrunner.”

The ensuing snowball war only ended when Tanris rode into the clearing on a second snowmobile, “kids! Get on back home, dinner is just about ready.”

The scramble to get everything and everyone loaded onto the trailer left Jaina straggling behind. Her knee was tense and it made her limp all the worse as she climbed onto the back of Sylvanas’ snowmobile to ride home.

By the time they all got inside, the large pot of stew was ready. It was a good hearty meal, the kind that clung to your bones and left you feeling warm. Jaina helped Lireesa with the dishes while Alleria and Lirath carefully picked a small stack of presents out from under the tree. Jaina looked at them questioningly as she was handed on of the presents, “what's this?”

Lireesa smiled as she sat down in her chair, “your Winter Veil Eve gift. Though I suppose I'll have to give you the one for the mystery girlfriend as well,” she explained with a smile, her nose crinkling in mirth, mischief in her eyes.

“It's pajamas,” Alleria said, dodging the swipe Sylvanas took at her.

“Don't ruin the surprise!” Sylvanas scolded her older sister.

While the sisters bickered, Jaina carefully unwrapped the present. A two-piece set of pajamas, printed with little nightsaber kittens. She smiled over at Lireesa and mouthed out ‘thank you.’

Once all the pajamas were opened, Sylvanas walked over to Jaina, “I have a surprise for you. Get your coat on, we’re going for a little walk.”

After they were bundled back up, Sylvanas pulled on a backpack and lead the way. She lead them down a well-kept path through the trees. The moon was high and it lit up the small pond that Sylvanas had brought them to beautifully. The moonlight glittered off of the frozen surface of the pond, casting the area in an ethereal glow.

Jaina looked about in wonder, “oh, Sylvanas, this is beautiful!” Her attention was drawn to Sylvanas when she set the bag down to take something out of it. When she turned around, Jaina stared in horror at what Sylvanas was holding out to her. Her breathing became short and her heart raced. Skates. Sylvanas was offering her a pair of skates with a kind smile that Jaina's treacherous mind tried to tell her was a mocking grin. “I can’t skate,” Jaina said quietly.

“I know,” Sylvanas was still smiling, “but I was able to teach Rhonin so I am sure I can teach you as well. It’ll be fun!”

Jaina shook her head, “I know how to skate,” her legs shook, the strain of the day finally catching up to her as she sank down into the snow. “I… I can’t. My leg. My fucking knee!” Jaina pounded her fist into the snow next to the offending leg. Over and over, all the while muttering ‘I can’t’ like a broken mantra to her pain. Tears rolled down her cheeks, rapidly becoming frigid in the cold air of the night.

“Stop that,” Sylvanas knelt in front of Jaina, grabbing her wrist just firmly enough to stop her, “please.” Using her hold on Jaina's wrist, Sylvanas pulled her gently into her arms. “I’m sorry, Jaina. I wasn’t thinking. I’m so sorry.” She rocked her side to side, slowly, as Jaina sobbed against her shoulder.

After a time, Jaina's sobs subsided and a deep chill set in. She shivered, clinging tighter to Sylvanas. “Help me get home,” Jaina said, her voice hoarse.

Carefully, Sylvanas helped to ease Jaina to her feet, pulling one of her arms around her shoulder and wrapping an arm around Jaina's waist, holding her flush to Sylvanas’ side. It was slow going and by the time they made it back, it was very late and everyone had gone to sleep. Or so Sylvanas had thought until they passed a pair of mugs filled with hot cider. “My moms always looking out for us, isn’t she? I’ll come down and get these after I get you into a nice warm bath.”

Getting Jaina up the stairs to the washroom turned out to be the easy part. Once the tub was filled with gloriously warm water, Jaina froze. “Jaina?” Sylvanas frowned as she looked her over. Jaina glanced uneasily between the tub, Sylvanas, and her legs. Her hand clenched into a fist in the fabric of her pants.

Oh.

Sylvanas gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze, “I won’t look, if that makes you feel more at ease.” Even as she spoke she turned, “I’ll go and get our cider while you get settled.”

Jaina watched her leave. Only when she heard footsteps on the stairs did she begin to undress. After pulling her hair up into a messy bun on top of her head, Jaina began the careful process of lowering herself into the water. A contented sigh left her as she settled herself, sinking down up to her chin. Scanning the edges of the tub, Jaina selected a bottle of bath oil. Peppermint. She poured in a liberal amount and was pleased to note that it had the added effect of making the water murky, hiding her from view.

“Come in,” Jaina said in reply to the knock on the door. She sat up slightly when Sylvanas walked in with their mugs and felt a faint thrill when the elves gaze roamed appreciatively over her bare shoulders and the tops of her breasts. It felt oddly nice to be gazed at, more than Jaina ever thought it would again. “My eyes are up here,” she tried to joke, the effect being lost with how red her eyes still were and the slight crack of her voice.

“I’m sorry,” Sylvanas said, handing Jaina her drink before sitting on the floor with her back against the tub.

“Oh! No, you don’t have to be sorry! You’re allowed to look at me, just—”

Sylvanas smiled into her mug, “I wasn't apologizing for looking at you,” she looked over her shoulder to see Jaina blush. “I’m sorry for dragging you all the way out there. It never even crossed my mind that you actually couldn't do it. I'm just so used to letting you do everything that the rest of us can do, to not letting your knee fold you back. I didn't know.”

“That's one of the things I love about you,” Jaina said, taking a sip from her mug, “you do your best to treat me so… normally. I love it. And I can't hold you not knowing against you, I never told you.” She fell quiet for a time, sipping at her cider. She glanced over at Sylvanas, taking a deep breath. “I used to skate all the time. Competitively mostly.”

Sylvanas’ ears twitched towards the sound of Jaina's voice, “the medals in the box? Sorry, I saw them when I was looking for your dishes.”

“From figure skating,” Jaina nodded, “I was good. Really good. Singles and pairs both. My partner, Kalec, and I had great chemistry that the judges really seemed to like. For a time it was what was paying my way through university. I had a scholarship and everything.”

“Was there an accident?” Sylvanas asked, flinching when Jaina practically growled out her response.

“It wasn't a fucking accident!” Jaina snapped, squeezing her eyes stuck, “he did it on purpose! He ruined everything I had on purpose!” She was shaking now, “his coach found out what he had been doing to me and kicked him off the team and he took it out on me. Me and Kalec were leaving an arena after a competition and he cut us off. He knocked Kalec out, punched him in the face a few times, and turned on me. He beat me to the ground. Dragged me to the curb and--”

She could see it clearly. The empty sidewalk, streaked with crimson. The streetlight shining down around them. The impact of being kicked into the gutter, one leg stuck up on the curb. The curb. The boot. The blinding pain.

Jaina struggled as she was pulled from the tub. The water splashed as she tried to kick her way free only to be held tighter. “I’ve got you,” soothed as she carefully wrapped Jaina in a soft towel. She held Jaina close her chest, the bathwater slowly soaking into her clothes. Once Jaina had calmed down, Sylvanas carefully walked her back to her bedroom. She left her sitting on the bed as she pulled out the pajamas that her mother had brought up and placed on her dresser.

Her breath left her in a gasp when she turned to see that Jaina had dropped the towel to the floor. A roadmap of scars marred her injured knee, dips and rises around the joint and misshapen cap. Placing the pajamas down on the bed as she kneeled down in front of Jaina. Looking up to make sure that Jaina wasn't opposed, Sylvanas trailed her fingers along the scars before placing a kiss on her knee. “I’m so sorry, Jaina. No one deserves this. A monster, that's what he is and you are so, so strong. Do you know that, Jaina?”

Sylvanas helped Jaina into her pajamas before dressing in her own and crawling beneath the covers with her, pulling her tightly against her chest to place kisses against her shoulder. “I love you,” Sylvanas whispered against her shoulder.

Finally, Jaina relaxed against Sylvanas, exhaustion washing over her. She blinked in sudden confusion, “you love me?”

“Of course I do,” Sylvanas breathed out a quiet laugh against Jaina's shoulder.

Jaina moved her hand to lace her fingers with Sylvanas’ where they lay against her stomach, “I love you too.”


	12. Early to Rise

Jaina would have gladly slept all of Winter veil away, tucked snuggled as she was against Sylvanas. It amazed her how well Sylvanas fit curled up around her back, her arm a comfortable weight over Jaina's waist. The sound of her snores one of the most soothing lullabies she had ever heard. She was about to give in and go back to sleep when her phone began to buzz loudly on her nightstand.

She cast a glance over her shoulder to see if the sound had awoken Sylvanas, only to find the elf to be still softly snoring. Carefully, Jaina removed the arm from her waist and scooted close enough to grab her phone to see who had her nerve of calling her this early. Her mother. It was Winter Veil, of course her mother was calling. “Hey, Mum,” Jaina said, her voice scratchy from sleep.

“Oh, I’m sorry, did I wake you, Dear?” Katherine asked.

“No, well I was going to go back to sleep, but it’s fine. I was going to call you when I woke up anyways,” Jaina replied, sitting up on the edge of the bed. She let out a small hiss of pain when she tried to straighten her leg, to much time out in the cold had left her knee uncomfortably tense, even after her soothing bath. “Happy Winter Veil,” she tried to cover the sound.

It didn’t work, “are you all right, Jaina?” She asked, “you haven’t overworked yourself again, have you?”

“No, mum, I’m fine,” Jaina rubbed at her leg to try and ease out some of the tension, “it’s just chilly up here, that’s all.” She relaxed when her mother didn’t question her further, “so how is your cruise going? Where are you now?”

“We’re docking at the Echo Isles in a few hours, I’ll make sure to pick you up something,” Katherine said. There was a pause before she called out, “Boys! Come and say hello to your sister!”

“Jaina! Happy Winter Veil!” she could hear her brother's call.

“You're on speaker, Jaina,” Her mother informed her.

“Hi Derek, hey Tandrid,” Jaina said, her throat felt tight. She listened to her brothers rushing off, most likely to get to the breakfast buffet. “You took Derek and Tandrid with you?” hurt was evident in her voice.

“They managed to get the time off this year and you know that they can't be trusted to watch the house on their own, not after their last kitchen disaster, so your father and I decided to make it a family trip,” Katherine said.

“A family trip,” Jaina snorted, “So you didn't think I would like to be involved in this family trip?”

“Jaina were it any other kind of trip we would have. But you wouldn't have been able to really enjoy yourself. Ocean dives and dances, and all those stairs on the ship?” Katherine sighed heavily, “I’m sorry dear. But maybe if you had tried that last doctor--”

“No,” Jaina's voice was firm, “I told you, I’m done bouncing around from doctor to doctor. The last one only made things worse!” She took a calming breath, letting her head hang, “I’ve accepted that this is just how my life is now and if you really wanted me around for family trips your going to have to accept that too. I’m broken, that's all there is to it.”

“Jaina please--” Her mother tried.

“I've gotta go, everyone else will be waking up soon. I’ll text you later, let you know I made it back to Dalaran safely.” Jaina didn't give her mother a chance to reply before she hung up, tossing her phone back onto the nightstand. She didn't flinch when she felt warm arms wrap around her shoulders. She leaned back against Sylvanas, placing one of her hands over Sylvanas’, her eyes closing when a kiss was placed on top of her head, “I’m sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up.”

Sylvanas shook her head, “light sleeper,” she explained. She pulled Jaina back down onto the bed, holding her close while she moved her hand up to run her fingers through Jaina's hair. “I don't think you're broken,” Sylvanas said at length.

Jaina was quiet, her fingers toying absently with Sylvanas pajama shirt, “She isn't bad, my mother, she just… doesn't understand. She tried so hard to get me back on my feet.”

“Literally?” Sylvanas ventured, not entirely sure how the gently tease would be taken.

“Yes, literally,” Jaina chuckled, digging her finger lightly into Sylvanas’ side. “She took me to all of the best doctors we could find, just so I could walk again. Surgeons and physiotherapists, the works. And I almost gave up but my mother, stubborn woman that she is, just wouldn’t let me.”

“I’m glad that she didn’t,” Sylvanas interrupted.

“I am too. But, she just didn’t get that I’m, not happy but I guess, content with what I can do now. Sure, I can’t run, swimming is near impossible but… I have my life back. I just wish she could see that I don’t need to have it all back.”

Sylvanas looked like she had something to add but she paused, her ears flicking up suddenly. She tapped Jaina's leg, “tuck your legs up as best you can.”

No sooner had Jaina done so did she hear the sound of rapid footfall. The bedroom door flew open and Giramar and Galadin launched themselves into the bed. Sylvanas had moved slightly on top of Jaina to stop the boys from landing on her but rolled onto her back when they settled excitedly at the end of the bed. Jaina had to smile at their antics, “and what has you two so excited this early in the morning?” raising a brow at them.

“I can’t think of anything that would possibly warrant being this lively so early in the morning,” Sylvanas hummed, her ears slanting in mirth.

“It’s Winter Veil!” Giramar whined.

“You gotta get outta bed, Aunties!” Galadin said, his little ears flicking back in an effort to look stern.

Arator appeared in the doorway, doing his level best to seem calm and nonchalant, but the faint twitching of his ears betrayed his own excitement. “Grandma says we can’t open anything until everyone is awake, and you two are the late sleepers this year.”

“Well, I guess we shouldn't keep everyone waiting,” Jaina barely got the words out before Giramar had crawled forward to drag Sylvanas out of bed and out the door with Arator following after them. Shaking her head fondly, Jaina slid out of bed, stumbling slightly.

“Are you okay, Aunt Jaina?” Galadin asked, frowning slightly.

“Don't worry about me, bud,” Jaina tried to soothe his concern, “I’m just a little stiff from all the fun we had yesterday.” In reply, he gave her a look of stern determination and offered her his arm. He had to reach up fairly high in order to help support Jaina and they had to have looked ridiculous as he helped her down the stairs, but all Jaina felt was pride welling up in her.

Lireesa passed by her as Jaina squeezed herself onto the couch next to Sylvanas, passing her a mug of steaming coffee. With a murmured thank you, Jaina surveyed the living room. Vereesa and Rhonin were sharing a blanket on the other side of the couch while Lireesa settled down in her chair with Tanris in his chair opposite hers. Lirath shuffled his way down the stairs not long after Jaina, flopping down next to Arator with a smile.

In contrast to the overall joyous mood of the rest of the family, Alleria sat near the tree, bundled up in what had to be every blanket from her bed, a mug of coffee twice the size of everyone else's clutched almost desperately between her hands. When Jaina and Sylvanas settled, Alleria pouted, “why did they get to sleep in?”

“Childless aunt privileges,” Sylvanas replied, flashing her a fanged grin.

“Alleria,” Lireesa cut off whatever retort Alleria had, offering her eldest child a thin smile, “since you already seem ready to climb under that tree, why don't you take the task of handing out the gifts?”

Alleria looked from her coffee to her mother, her ears pinned back as she forced her face into a pout, hoping that her mother would leave her be. When her mother didn't back down, Alleria reluctantly set her coffee aside to begin rooting around under the tree. She pulled out a gift for each of the boys, presents from their grandparents, before handing a gift to everyone else. She smiled at Jaina's look of surprise, “what? You think we wouldn't have anything for you?”

Jaina wasn’t exactly sure what she had expected. She waited until the Windrunners had opened their gifts before finally looking at hers. The box was small, addressed to her from Lireesa and Tanris. She nearly dropped it when she opened it, closing it again almost immediately. Jaina looked between the two elves then back to the box, “I can’t accept this,” she insisted, “I really can’t.”

Lireesa offered her a kindly smile, “you don't have to accept it, Jaina, but just know that no matter what, you are welcome here. Home with my family. Your family.”

With a watery smile, Jaina gently lifted her gift from the box. She had seen Rhonin and Vereesa wearing similar ones, a pendant shaped like a silver leaf hanging from a deceptively sturdy chain. She leaned forward so that Sylvanas could help her with the clasp. She felt the pendant was a comforting weight against her chest, she fiddled with it, her smile slowly warming, “thank you. Thank you so much.”

The moment passed but the warmth remained.

The boys each had a bounty of toys while Arator was quick to drag his new pile of novels off to a corner to lose himself in fiction. New fuzzy blankets all around and tacky mugs. Alleria had been delighted at the new set of lenses she had got and had run off to her room to get her camera, wanting to capture the day. The overall joy of the morning was contagious and Jaina found herself more at ease than she had been in so long. If Jaina had thought they she and her family had been close, the Windrunners put them to shame. Joking and laughing, gentle jabs and teasing.

As wonderful as it was to be involved, it only made her miss her own family. Her call with her mother weighed heavily on her mind. So heavily that it took a few gentle prods for her to return her attention to Sylvanas who was holding one final present, almost shyly. She held another to her own chest, “couples gifts always go last here,” Sylvanas explained, smiling when Jaina took her present.

Taking it, Jaina nodded to the gift that Sylvanas was still holding, “you first.”

Not needing to be told twice, Sylvanas tore through the wrapper to get at the box inside. She opened the box and pulled out the knit sweater that was inside. It was a soft blue colour and images of hockey players had been knitted in a band around the torso.

Jaina smiled, “a friend of mine at work is an avid knitter so I commissioned this. Do you like it?”

“I love it,” Sylvanas held the sweater close, “open yours!”

Jaina was far more gentle with the unwrapping of her gift. She peeled the tape back, tearing the paper as little as possible, smiling at Sylvanas’ impatience. The gift hadn't been placed in a box so when she pulled away the paper a Farstriders jersey was left in her lap. She unfolded it as slowly as she had unwrapped it. Her name had been stitched onto the back and Jaina ran her fingers across it almost reverently, “thank you. Thank you so much.”

When she pulled Sylvanas into a tight hug, a camera flash illuminated them. They separated quickly and looked to Alleria just as she took another picture. She grinned turning the camera so that they could see the photo. “You two are so damn cute!” she smiled, handing the camera to her mother.

“You’ll have to make sure to send that to me,” Lireesa said, handing the camera back as she stood. “Get all of this tidied up while I start on breakfast,” you pointed a finger accusingly at Jaina, “and no, you will not be helping me this time, Jaina. It is a grandmother's job to spoil her kids and her grandkids.”

Jaina held up her hands and laughed quietly, “alright, Lireesa, no help from me.” She patted Sylvanas’ leg, “help me get back upstairs.” The two of them made their way upstairs to deposit their things on the bed. She chewed at her lip before hobbling over to pick up her phone. She had planned on texting her phone, apologize for how snappy she had been only to see that her mother had sent her a text.

_ I’m very sorry, Jaina. I know it doesn't seem like it, but I only ever want to make you happy. I should have told you we were bringing your brothers and I definitely should have invited you. I know that you are a strong young woman and I am so very proud of you. It is just hard for me to see you struggle. I let that dictate what I think at times. I hope that once we get back from this trip, you'll allow us to come and see you, I’d love to meet this lady of yours and your father is itching to see what she's made of. We miss you, my sweet girl. _

When Jaina rubbed at her eyes, Sylvanas walked over to her, ears canted back, “everything okay, Jaina?”

Jaina nodded, smiling, “fine. Everything is fine now.”


	13. Hit the Ice

Life quickly returned to normal in the wake of Jainas week in Quel’Thalas. Jaina returned to work, and after a few days in Dalaran, Sylvanas was whisked back off on tour. True to her word, Sylvanas stayed with Vereesa after any loose, the few that there were, and Jaina couldn’t have been more grateful for her understanding. In the mornings after she had calmed down, Jaina would make the trip over to see her and they were better for it.

But now the season was wrapping up and Jaina was starting to get anxious. It was almost a guarantee that the Farstriders would make it into the playoffs, but this final regular-season game would be the one to seal the deal. One final game against Stormwind.

She had been on edge all week. Every call with Sylvanas led to the elf trying to get her to relax, instead of the other way around. In an effort to keep her mind off of the game, Jaina threw herself into her work. There had been a backlog of artifacts to analyze from before the lab closed from the holidays and Jaina and her team had been working tirelessly to get caught up before the remainder of the artifacts from the dig site.

It worked for a time. Every day, Jaina would go in early and bury herself in her work, going over data and translating scraps of parchment and engraved bits of pottery. But at the end of the day, she would go home and have nothing to distract herself.

It was nearing the end of the day when Modera let herself into Jaina's office. She offered Jaina a smile as she sat down on the edge of her desk. “Isn't it game night?” she asked, leaning over so that Jaina had to look at her, “don't you usually go to Rhonins? Why don't you duck out early, I’m sure you can still make it.”

Jaina chewed at her lip, “I really should get these translations finished.”

“Jaina,” Modera shook her head, “you and I both know that you are already way ahead of schedule.”

Jaina couldn't deny that. She had actually been running out of work to go over from the dig site. She glanced at the clock and sighed. She would have to leave now if she was going to make it in time. Grabbing her cane from its place beside her desk and tossing her reading glasses back into a drawer. “You’ll lock up?”

“Of course,” Modera chuckled, “it's just you and me left. Everyone else has already left to find somewhere to watch the game.”

Jaina paused while she pulled on her coat, “I didn't know that anyone else in our lab watched hockey.”

“We've all noticed how smitten you are with your little elf, the extra little pep you’ve had in your step,” Modera teased, “so everyone started watching to show our support. It only seems right to support a woman who has made our most dedicated college happier than we’ve ever seen her.”

Blushing brightly, Jaina made a hasty exit from her office, Modera joyful laughter following her all the way to the elevator. Once in the safety of her car, Jaina rubbed furiously at her heated cheeks. Leave it to Modera to embarrass her before she had to face Vereesa and Rhonin.

It wasn't a long drive over to Vereesas, but it proved just long enough from her embarrassment to dissipate. When she pulled into the driveway, her brow furrowed in confusion. A jeep Jaina had never seen was parked beside Rhonin’s car.

With a hint of apprehension, Jaina pulled her jersey from the back of her car and walked to the door. She knocked twice before letting herself in, “hello!” She had been expecting the boys to come barreling down the hallway, or Vereesa to round the corner, scolding her for being late. What she wasn't expecting, was Alleria to shuffle to the door, Giramar and Galadin clinging to her legs like monkeys. “Are they trapping you here, Alleria?” Jaina laughed brightly, shrugging off her coat so that she could pull on her jersey.

“I thought I could sneak out while you were coming in,” Alleria joked, trying to shake Galadin off, “I don't need Sylv’s ego being fed further by the fact that her big sister was watching her game. But these two monsters have ruined that plan.” At that both the boys cackled, clinging tighter to their aunt's legs. Grumbling, Alleria turned, physically lifting Giramar off the floor for a moment before making her way down the hall, “Rhonin made nachos, they just came out.”

The promise of food hastened Jaina down the hall to join them. Alleria had plopped herself down on a pile of pillows and blankets on the floor. The twins had both squeezed into a chair together, leaving room on the couch for Jaina to sit with Vereesa and Rhonin. Jaina picked up a plate to load with nachos, only stopping when Vereesa gave her a pointed look. Jaina smiled sheepishly as she sat back, “I wasn't avoiding coming to watch the game, honest.”

Vereesa gave a noncommittal hum, taking Jainas plate from her hands and heaping more nachos onto the top. When she handed it back, Vereesa smiled, “I’m glad you could make it.” Vereesa squeezed Jaina's arm, “they’ll beat them this time around,” she reassured her quietly, “don't worry.”

Jaina was going to say that she wasn't worried that she was slowly getting better at dealing with the lost games. That she didn't panic nearly as much as she used to. But the end of the commercial that had been playing cut her off as the camera panned across the roaring crowd inside of Silvermoon's arena.

Even so far away, Jaina could feel the excitement of the crowd. She watched as it reached a fever pitch as the players took to the ice, Silvermoon and Stormwind alike. She could see Liadrin on the bench, shouting encouragement to her stand-in, Aenea. Jainas' eyes honed in on Sylvanas as she and her team took a lap around the circling the Lions. They lined the boards, hands over their hearts as the anthem of Quel’thalas played.

Finally, the players took their positions. Sylvanas met the Stormwind captain, a burly Draenei, in the centre of the rink to shake hands. Sylvanas grinned as she pulled the towering man down to bump her helmet against his before skating backwards to await the dropping of the puck. A hush fell over the arena, everyone was on the edge of their seats as they waited.

The puck dropped and they were off.

Sylvanas got control of the puck and quickly skated past the opposing captain, her team at her back. A few passes back and forth to dodge around the Lions and the first goal was scored. The remainder of the first period went much the same. The Farstriders would quickly gain control of the puck and play keep away until whoever was close enough could take the shot. Anytime the Lions got the puck, they tested Aenea’s defence, noting how she struggled they pushed the offensive. A few slips up and they closed the point gap to tie them up.

In the middle of the second period, Jaina swore her heart stopped. Sylvanas had the puck on a breakaway with a clear shot of the net when a dwarven played skated up behind her. Low as he already was, he ducked his shoulder down and slammed Sylvanas into the boards at her knees. The force of the impact coupled with the angle that she was hit sent Sylvanas tumbling over the dwarf's broad shoulders before crashing down to the ice. A low ‘ooo’ ran through the crowd as Sylvanas struggled back to her feet, blood dripping from her nose. The foul had been called but Sylvanas didn't seem to care as she raced after the dwarf, her gloves joining her discarded stick.

She was stopped by Nathanos grabbing the back of her jersey and spinning her back to the team. The cameras didn't need to be able to pick up what Sylvanas she screaming at the dwarf for Jaina to want to instinctively cover the twin's ears. Sylvanas was pulled off to the team box to get checked over. Her nose still bleeding, Lor’themar pulled her for the rest of the period.

But with the dwarf in the penalty box, the Lions were put at a disadvantage that, even without their captain, the Farstriders rushed to take advantage of. They pushed hard, blocking the Lions at every turn yet only managed to score one goal before the powerplay ended, and no more before the end of the period.

By the beginning of the third, Sylvanas was able to be subbed back in, and she hit the ice with a vengeance. She skated hard, intercepting every pass she could make it to. They had a lead of one and Sylvanas was determined to keep it if she couldn't advance it. She harassed the dwarf, like a crow pestering a cat, going out of her way to cut him off.

The clock was ticking down and it was looking like it was going to be a win for the Farstriders. That was until the rookie left-wing, the son of the coach, Anduin, finally made a move on the goal. A swift pass from Valeera and he was off. Slipping past Sylvanas, he took the shot. Just as the clock ran out, the puck slammed into the back of the net, tying up the game.

The Farstriders hadn't played many overtime games in the season, so it put the team down and out. Especially with Liadrin benched. But, they wouldn't be discouraged as they rearranged themselves for the four-on-four. The tension was thick and the ref barely got out of the way in time after dropping the puck before Sylvanas and the Draenei captain were moving. Back and forth the teams raged across the ice, aggressively defending their nets. Finally, the Farstriders caught a break With both the Draenei and Valeera harassing Sylvanas for the puck, Nathanos was open for a pass.

Nathanos took control of the puck and made a break for it. With the other two players still on their end of the rink, all he had to worry about was Anduin. The rookie was easily slipped up, Nathanos skillfully moved around him, lining up his shot.

He lined up his shot, drawing his stick back and shooting.

The puck flew across the ice, slipping just past the goalie's stick and into the net.

The buzzer sounded loudly. The game was over and the Farsiders had secured their place in the playoffs.

The frenzy of the crowd in the arena was nothing compared to that of the occupants of the living room. Alleria had leapt up and whooped loudly before scooping up the twins to do a victory lap around the house. Vereesa had screamed, shaking Rhonin in her excitement.

And Jaina? Jaina leapt to her feet with a cheer. She wobbled before falling back down to the couch with a joyous laugh. She dug out her phone to shoot a text to Sylvanas to congratulate her. She was smiling so wide that her cheeks quickly began to ache but Jaina couldn’t have cared less. She was just so proud.

When she turned her attention back to the TV Lor’themar was in the middle of an interview along with the team’s manager, Kael’thas. They were doing their best to keep formal and composed, while behind them the Farstriders loudly celebrated, cheering and just making overall asses of themselves. Kael’thas must have grown tired of their antics, as he excused himself to drag Sylvanas towards the interviewer, forcing her into the spotlight instead. “I’ll let our esteemed captain answer that one for you,” he said, stepping back with Lor’themar to try and get the team under control.

Sylvanas forced a smile for the camera, pushing some of her messy hair out of her face, “I’m sorry, what was the question?”

“What is your plan going into the playoffs, and which teams are you most concerned about possibly going up against?”

“Practicing hard to stay in top form,” Sylvanas replied, “We've been keeping an eye on what teams outside of our conference and, if we get a chance to go up against them again, the Sentinels are sure to be able to take us for a run for our money. I’m looking forward to it!”

Jaina chuckled as the camera cut back to the announcers. Alleria had returned to the living room to sprawl out on the floor with the twins. She watched as Alleria pulled the blankets around herself into a nest round herself, with Giramar and Galadin curled up on either side of her.

“I guess we’ve been kicked out of my living room,” Vereesa shook her head fondly, helping Jaina backup and escorting her to the door. She pulled Jaina into a tight hug after she had pulled on her coat, “drive safe?”

“I always do,” Jaina assured her as she left making her way to her car. The roads were quiet and she made her way back to her apartment quickly. She had barely locked the door before her phone started to ring. Jaina answered with a smile, “how's your nose?” she asked for means of greeting.

“Doing far better than my wounded pride,” Sylvanas huffed, “which is feeling worse knowing that you saw that.”

“But I saw you win,” Jaina soothed, cozying up on her couch, “congratulations on making it to the playoffs.”

“That's actually what I was calling about,” Sylvanas said, “do you have any vacation time in the lab?”

Jaina frowned in confusion, “I can take a bit of time, yes. Why?”

“Have you ever been to Pandaria?”

“What?” Jaina sat up quickly, “I haven't, no. Why?”

She could hear Sylvanas smiling, “one of the first playoff games is in Townlong, and from the scores, it'll be against the Farstriders. I’ve already talked to Lor’themar about it and I thought, maybe, you'd want to come with us?”

“Well, if you don't think I'll get in the way,” Jaina said.

“Trust me, you won't,” Sylvanas replied, “the team really wants to get to know you,” she paused, “and to get me to stop talking about you constantly.

Jaina laughed brightly at that, “well, I suppose that if it will spare them the torment of you missing me, of course I will go with you to every game I'm able. I would never pass up the opportunity to see you play live.”

"I wouldn't miss the opportunity to spend time with you," Sylvanas said smoothly.

"I think Lor'themar is going you regret 'okaying' this idea," Jaina laughed.

"He will," Sylvanas chuckled, "I'm counting on it."


	14. Night to Remember

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Note: this chapter is mildly NSFW, nothing explicitly stated but, y'all know.

After winning their first game in Silvermoon, an away game Pandaria was their next step in the playoffs. Pandaria was, by far, the most beautiful country Jaina had ever seen, despite having only seen a small slice of its splendor. Jaina and Sylvanas had arrived a few days before the scheduled game and had spent the time they had sightseeing. But in all their touring, there was one sight that Jaina had been dying to see.

“I want to walk the Wall,” she said suddenly, setting aside her empty bowl of dumplings.

Anyone else would have offered her a pitying look or a sad smile. Would have told her about the uneven stones that make it hard for everyone else to walk along it, or how long it is. But Sylvanas wasn’t anyone else, and her ears perked up at the idea, “I’ve never had the chance to walk it myself,” she said, slurping back the remainder of her noodles. She helped Jaina up and all but dragged her from the little restaurant they had stopped for lunch in.

After a brief argument with their cab driver, they were on their way. The Wall was much taller up close, and Jaina couldn’t resist running her fingers along the weather-worn stones. To think, that in times long ago it had been the country's first line of defence. A tug on her sleeve drew her out of her thoughts long enough for Sylvanas to lead her into the stone tower that would take them to the top of the wall.

The stairs were old and worn, and even with the addition of a handrail, Jaina struggled to make it to the top. But she managed, and once they were out of the tower and on the wall proper, she was glad that she did. The view from the Wall was breathtaking. She looped her arm with Sylvanas and the pair began the long walk along the Wall.

Halfway along the Wall, Jaina pulled Sylvanas off to the side. She leaned back, pulling Sylvanas close by her hips before tilting her head to kiss her. She smiled against Sylvanas’ lips, “thank you, again, for coming up here with me. No one else would have.”

“I’m not anyone else,” Sylvanas said softly, returning the kiss, a little more deeply than Jaina had offered.

Sylvanas startled away from Jaina at the sound of her phone ringing. Digging the offending device from her pocket, she answered with an irritated, “Windrunner.”

“Where the hell are you, Sylvanas?” Jaina could hear Kael’thas snap over the line, “everyone is at the arena except for you!!”

Her ears pinned back, “is it already that late? Shit. Shit shit shit. I’ll be right there!”

“You had better be, Windrunner or I’ll —,”

Sylvanas didn’t stay on the line to hear the end of his tirade. She stuffed her phone back in her pocket and crutches down in front of Jaina with her back to her. Jaina blinked in confusion, what are doing?”

“Hop on,” Sylvanas said simply. When Jaina just didn't move, Sylvanas glanced over her shoulder, an apologetic smile on her face, “we’re going to be late, and I'm not leaving you alone in a city you don't know. So, if I carry you we’ll both make it on time. Probably.”

Frowning, Jaina got onto Sylvanas’ back, gasping in surprise when Sylvanas stood, hiking Jaina up her back and hooking her arms under her legs. Instinctively, Jaina wrapped her arms around Sylvanas, holding her cane across her chest, “I'm not too heavy?”

“For me? Not at all,” Sylvanas said, adjusting her grip, “hold on tight!” With that said, Sylvanas took off along the wall at a light jog.

By the time they made it to the arena, Sylvanas was panting heavily. Jaina tugged on her shirt to get her to stop and carefully slid from her back. “I can walk the rest of the way,” she assured her, giving her arm a pat, “go and get some water, I’ll see you soon.” Jaina stood and watched her hurry off down to the locker rooms and sighed, shaking her head. Her limp was more pronounced from their long walk, but Jaina made it down to her seat behind the team box just as the Farstriders were hitting the ice. She smiled sheepishly when Lor’themar turned to give her a pointed look.

“I have never seen Sylvanas arrive at a game so out of breath before,” he said, low enough so that only Jaina could hear him over the crowd, “you must have really worn her out,” he waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Jaina flushed brightly but didn’t get a chance to defend herself as the game began.

The captain of the Golden Monks was a lanky Hozen who shook Sylvanas’ gloves hand with a mile-wide grin. With a quick tap of his stick on the ice, the Monks fell into their positions behind him, a mixture of Pandaren and Hozen players. Once the puck hit, their advantages became apparent. While the Hozen were swift and agile, the Pandarens hit hard, knocking the elven players about like pinballs. Luckily, the Farstriders were hardy enough to take the strongest checks, and return them in kind.

But, the Farstriders had them outmatched by a nose. Goal after goal they scored, with Liadrin defending her net with vicious zeal. Only two goals made it past her defencive, each one only bolstering her resolve to win. And win they did, with Sylvanas stealing the final goal with a shout of victory. As she made her victory lap, she caught Jaina’s gaze and in her eyes was a fire that Jaina had never seen before.

As the players left the ice, Jaina found herself leaning over to speak quietly to Sylvanas as she passed. “Skip the interview,” she said as she reached out to finger the fabric of her jersey, a mischievous smile quirking her lips. The cant of Sylvanas’ ears was new as well.

Jaina waited by the door anxiously pacing back and forth, despite the discomfort it caused her leg. She jumped when she felt a hand lay upon the small of her back, spinning to find Sylvanas behind her, her duffle bag hoisted over her shoulder. “The team?” she asked.

“Caught up in their interviews,” Sylvanas said, steadying Jaina carefully by her waist, “I managed to slip out.” She let out a startled breath when Jaina took her hand and began quickly leading her away towards the exit. The hotel wasn't far from the arena, a perk of being on the away team.

Sylvanas had barely set her bag down before Jaina was on her with a fierce kiss and wandering hands, drawing a surprised groan from the elf. “Go shower,” Jaina breathed, stepping back to let Sylvanas pass. She watched her go, almost entranced with how Sylvanas was capable of making a show of pulling off sweatpants and a t-shirt. She waited until she heard the shower running before making her way to the bed, pulling off her own clothes as she went. When she sat on the edge of the bed, her hand instinctively went to her knee. She frowned, some of the fire that had begun to burn in her dying out, as she tried to rub the aggravating soreness from it.

“Your knee hurting from the walk?” Jaina's head snapped up at the sound of Sylvanas’ voice. Sylvanas had forgone wrapping herself in a towel and stood bare in the doorway, leaning lazily against the frame. “Let me help,” she crossed the space slowly, kneeling on the floor before Jaina. She kept her touch firm as she worked at the tension that had built up in her muscles and joints, taking special care around the sensitive scars. She had drifted ever higher, drawing gasps and groans from Jaina.

When she stopped her advance, Jaina looked down at her, her chest heaving with her panted breathes, “I won’t break, Sylv.”

That seemed to be all the encouragement Sylvanas needed.

Jaina sang out her praises in the form of breathy moan and low-pitched groans. In murmured attempts at Sylvanas’ name. She writhed as Sylvanas’ skilled hands played her like the finest instrument.

Only when Jaina was whimpering and desperately pulling at Sylvanas’ shoulder, did she stop. Sylvanas carefully crawled up along the bed to lay down against Jaina's side. She peppered Jaina's forehead with soft kisses while she absently scratched at her stomach, smiling against Jainas temple as the muscles there twitched faintly at her light touches. “I’ve got you, Jaina,” Sylvanas soothed softly.

Once she had recovered, Jaina sat up against the headboard and wrapped an arm under Sylvanas, pulling the smaller woman into her lap. When Sylvanas made to protest, Jaina gripped her hips tightly, “I told you,” she chided, “I’m not going to break.” As if to prove her point, Jaina urged Sylvanas to settle more fully in her lap.

While Jaina may not have been as skilled as Sylvanas, but she was still able to turn the elf into a shuddering gasping mass above her. She greedily swallowed Sylvanas’ moans with a searing kiss.

When Sylvanas collapsed down onto Jaina, nuzzling her face into the crook of her neck, Jaina wrapped her arms around her, rubbing her back in slow circles. “Good?” Jaina asked.

“So good,” Sylvanas replied, getting good and comfy. She shifted so that she could see Jaina, “what was the point of me having a shower?”

“Maybe I wanted to be the reason you were all hot and sweaty?” Jaina said with a small smirk.

Sylvanas blinked up at Jaina in shock before letting out a small laugh, “where’d all this confidence come from?” She shifted to place a kiss over one of the marks she had left on Jaina's breasts.

Jaina smiled, threading her fingers through Sylvanas’ hair, “you must be rubbing off on me.”

“I’m choosing to take that as a compliment,” Sylvanas said, nipping a new spot.

“Trust me, it was.”

___________________

Jaina awoke to the sound of a rhythmic knocking on the door. She struggled out of bed, trying not to wake up Sylvanas. After fumbling around in the dimly lit room, Jaina managed to find a pair of pants and her jersey before making her way to the door. She had to use the furniture and walls to help support herself, her knee to stiff to walk on her own.

Jaina squinted in confusion when she opened the door to find Liadrin standing in the hallways, arms crossed and an amused smile quirking her lips. “Uh, good morning, Liadrin,” Jaina greeted.

“Lor’themar sent me to collect the two of you,” Liadrin said, “but I figured you would both be still asleep.”

“Why would you think we would still be asleep?”

Liadrin leaned close, her smile spreading into a grin, “the walls of this hotel are not as thick as one would think,” her ears twitched and she let out a bark of laughter at how red Jaina became. “We‘ll be down in the dining room ‘B’ once your presentable.”

When Jaina returned to the bed, her face still aflame, it was to find Sylvanas stilling up, lounging against the pillows, “I take it Liadrin heard us?” She opened her arms when Jaina nodded sullenly, holding her close, “does that bother you?”

Jaina shook her head, “no, just embarrassed.”

“Ah,” Sylvanas nodded, rubbing her hand along Jainas back, “I heard her talking about breakfast with the team. If you wanted, we could just stay here, order room service.”

“No, I think I’ll be able to make it through one meal,” she stood carefully, patting Sylvanas’ leg, “get dressed, I’m starving.”

Once they were dressed, they made their way down to join the rest of the team. A sizeable breakfast buffet had been set up to one side of the room. Offering quiet greetings, they made their way to the buffet, filling up their plates before settling down at the long table.

“Now that everyone is here,” Kael’thas began, idly taking a sip from a cup of tea, “we can discuss our semifinal game. Just this morning I was informed as to what team we will be facing off against. They had to go their whole three games, but next week we will be facing off against the Boralus Admirals.”

The Admirals had never made it to the playoffs before, that much Jaina knew. But while the Farstriders were excited talking about the chance to go up against a new team in the tournament, trying to figure out who among them had managed to catch any Admirals games, Jaina could only think of one thing.

_ Home. _


	15. A Wager

Jaina stood before the door of her childhood home, confused as to how to proceed. Sure, it had been her home, but she hadn’t loved there for years. She knew that she should have called ahead, let her parents know she was dropping in. Did she knock? Did she just let herself in? Sylvanas would have told her that she was being ridiculous, that this was still as much of her home now as it was then. But Sylvanas was with the team, going over everything they could about the Admirals, and Jaina had to decide for herself to just open the door. 

Finding the door unlocked, Jaina let herself in. “Hello?” She called, “Mum? Dad?”

She wasn’t really expecting an answer, so seeing her mother rounding the corner, a dish towel in her hand, was surprising. “Jaina?” Katherine tossed the towel onto a small bench near the door as she closed the distance between them. She cupped Jaina face in her hands, looking her daughter over with a critical eye before pulling her into a tight hug, “oh my sweet girl, I missed you.”

“I missed you too, Mum,” Jaina said, wrapping her arm around her mother and burrowing her face into her shoulder. Her arm tightened when she felt her mother start to pull away.

Katherine merely smiled, “come inside, Dear. I’ll fix you up a nice proper cup of tea. I doubt youve had one since youve been in Dalaran.” She lead Jaina through the house, just stopping herself from pulling out a chair for her. She busied herself with preparing two cups of tea. “Jaina… I’m so sorry, about the cruise,” she set a cup of tea down in front of Jaina, sitting down next to her daughter.

Jaina frowned into her cup, “that really hurt me,” she admitted quietly, “sure, I might not be able to swim, but I am more capable than you give me credit for, and I am more than capable of finding ways to enjoy time with my family.”

“I know,” Katherine said, “in my heart that you are so strong, and determined to move on. But I look at you and I still see my little girl. My darling little star and I just…” she sighed, “it was years ago now but I still can’t get it out of my head. I’m sorry. I’ll try to be better for you.” Katherine reached out her hand and let out a relieved breath when Jaina took it, squeezing her fingers reassuringly. 

“I didn’t come all this way to guilt you, Mum,” Jaina offered her a smile, “you can go back to feeling bad when I leave, until then just be happy I’m here.”

“Yes. Yes of course,” Katherine turned her hand in Jainas to squeeze it back. “On that note, what are you doing back home? Not that you aren’t always welcome, but I thought your research kept you far to busy?”

“I had way to many vacation days built up, and Sylvanas offered to take me on the road with her,” Jaina explained, “just a lucky chance that that road led us to Kul Tiras.”

“Ah, so she does have a name,” Katherine smiled. “Sylvanas,” she repeated, “that’s an Elven name, is it not? Tell me about her.”

Jaina blushed, “I talk about her all the time,” sulked. 

“Through text,” Katherine said, “but nothing beats the sound of someone talking about a person they love.”

Ducking her head, Jaina murmured out, “shes wonderful. She's kind and funny. She lets me take charge and do what I can. More than what I thought I could.” Her eyes lit up as a fond smile curled her lips, “she took me dancing. In a park. I didn't even know that I could still dance but she--,”

“She sounds lovely, Jaina,” Katherine reached out to rub her thumb over Jainas cheek, “I am so glad that you have found someone who makes you this happy. “To see this smile, this light in your eyes. So much like your father.”

“But with nicer eyes?” Jaina joked.

“Yes,” Katherine smiled, “I am eternally grateful that if you got anything from me, it was my looks.”

“It wasn't the only thing,” Jaina grinned, “I’m just as mule-headedly stubborn.” Jaina relaxed into her seat as she listened to her mother cackle with laughter. She had missed this, more than she ever could have imagined. This feeling of comfort, of belonging.

“Kathe!” a voice called from the doorway, “there is a strange little elf on our yard! Says shes here to see our Jaina. I told her that she was crazy,” ‘round the corner and into the kitchen walked Daelin. He tossed his coat onto the back of a chair, pausing to ruffle Jaina's hair, “how fair ye’?” He carried on to the fridge, rooting around for something to drink, “told her that our Jaina is off on the mainland, living in big shiney Dalaran,” he turned, cracking open the pop he had pulled out, “isn't that insane, Jaina?” 

Daelin nearly choked on his drink when his mind caught up, “Jaina!” he pulled Jaina from her chair to hug her tightly, leaning back to lift her up off the ground. “It's been too long, Starlight! What are you doing back home?”

“I’m traveling with my girlfriend,” Jaina answered once she had been set back down, “who you left outside on the lawn.” She smiled at the look of shock on Daelins face, “would you mind letting her in? I’m sure that she is more here to meet you than to pick me up.”

The speed at which Daelin moved from the kitchen was impressive, to say the least. When he pulled Sylvanas into the kitchen, her ears were pressed back nervously. She looked to Jaina, eyes wide, only relaxing when Jaina slipped her hand into Sylvanas’. “Mum, Dad, this is Sylvanas. Sylvanas, my parents.”

Sylvanas shook each of their hands in turn, “mister and missus Proudmoore, it's wonderful to meet you both.” She offered them each a smile, “Jaina has told me so much about you.” Sylvanas sat down at the table with the Proudmoores, lacing her fingers with Jainas as her parents drilled her with questions. 

Until her father finally asked—

“So, Sylvanas, what is it that you do?” Daelin asked, looking her up and down with a critical eye, “you seem fit. You aren’t one o’ them overstuffed internet models, aye?”

At that, Sylvanas chuckled, “I see a dislike of hockey runs in the family. Captain of the Silvermoon Farstriders.”

At that, Daelins entire demeanour seemed to change. He narrowed his eyes, sitting up straighter, “at least this one will look me in the eyes,” he said, his voice low. “Tell me, have you been treating my daughter well?”

“Dad!”

Sylvanas changed her posture to mirror Daelins, squaring her shoulders back, “I can assure you, mister Proudmoore, that I have treated you daughter like the finest of treasures. Do understand, sir, that one pathetic excuse for a man does not represent every player.”

The silence that followed was tense and Jaina half expected Sylvanas and her father to come to blows. She needn’t have worried as her father let out a short bark of laughter, reaching over to clap Sylvanas in the shoulder, “I like this one, Jaina! The spine on her!”

“I take it you’re in town to face off against our Admirals, then?” Katherine asked, “a game that you will lose,” she sipped demurely at her tea but Jaina could see the hint of a smirk on her mother’s lips. 

“With all due respect,” Sylvanas started, “the Admirals had to play through all three of their games in the last round and they have never made it to playoffs before, I would say that that puts my team at an advantage.”

“Would you now?” Katherine openly smirked now, “a wager, then?” She ignored how Jaina groaned in exasperation. 

“What are the stakes?” Sylvanas, too, ignored Jainas exasperation, her ears flicking forward. 

“If the Admirals win this first game, you will send me a crate of your peoples fancy Thalassian wine,” Katherine offered, “I had a taste of it once and found it to be quite exquisite.”

“And when my Farstriders win?” Sylvanas asked. 

Katherine simply smiled, “you won’t.”

The confidence in Katherines statement was enough to dig into Sylvanas’ competitive nature. She reached past Jaina, sealing the bet with Katherine with a firm handshake, “it’s a bet.”

“Terrible,” Jaina complained, “both of you are just terrible.” She looked at the clock, happy to find a way to break free, “it’s getting late, Sylvanas. We should probably get going if you don’t want Kael to tear another strip off you.”

“Where are you two staying tonight?” Daelin asked a he stood, handing Jaina her cane once their cab had arrived. 

“The league is providing us with hotel accommodations,” Sylvanas said. 

“A hotel?” Katherine gasped, “nonsense. The two of you can stay here for the night. It isn’t up for debate.” She presses a lingering kiss to the top of Jaina’s head, smiling into her hair, “I’ll see you two later. Love you, my dear sweet girl.”

“Love you too, mum,” with that, Jaina and Sylvanas hurries our the door and into the waiting cab. 

___________________________________

The game did not go at all how Jaina had expected. She had grown up watching the Admirals with her brothers and she had thought that she knew how they operated. But times had changed and the teams new captain, Amalia Stone, was a force to be reckoned with. 

Still, Jaina never would have been able to predict a three-to-five loss for the Farstriders. It had seemed like such a close game, but the Admirals caught a second wind and blazed through to victory. 

After the game, Jaina stood just outside of the locker room. She congratulated each player on a job well done as the exited until Sylvanas finally left. 

Sylvanas blinked at Jaina in confusion, “what are you doing here, Jaina? I thought you would have already left for your parents house.”

Jaina reaches out for Sylvanas’ hand, brushing her thumb over her knuckles, “without you? Not a chance.”

“But I lost,” Sylvanas frowned, “that normally means we spend the night apart.”

“Normally,” Jaina agreed, “but maybe I want to start taking this part of my life back too. Maybe the easiest place to start doing that, is my parents house.”

At that, Sylvanas smiled, “I guess it wouldn’t do well to look like I’m actively avoiding you mother, would it?”

Jaina laughed, “no, she would hunt you to the ends of Azeroth to collect on your wager.”

“Well then, I guess I shouldn’t make it look like I’m skipping out,” Sylvanas smiled, lacing her fingers with Jaina’s as she placed a kiss to her temple, “let’s go home.”


	16. The North

After their loss in Boralus, the Farstriders really buckled down for their final games. With two shutouts in Silvermoon, they secured their spot in the finals. Jaina had been so happy for them and had been looking forward to travelling with them again until she found out who they would be facing.

“Who did you say made it to finals with you?” Jaina could barely keep the tremble from her voice.

“The Icecrown Scourge,” Sylvanas repeated, leaning back against the couch of their hotel room, “a fitting name for them if you ask me. They are a  _ scourge  _ upon the league.” Her ears tilted back as she huffed, “they have more penalties and suspensions between them than the rest of the league combined. I honestly don’t know how they managed to make it to finals with a full team.”

Jaina couldn’t bring herself to think that Sylvanas was exaggerating. She knew first hand just the sort of players the Scourge let on their team. After all, they had signed  _ Him  _ onto the team after the Paladins had kicked him out. If she said she didn’t want to go, would Sylvanas be upset? Would she demand to know why? Or would she be hurt? Sure, Jaina was sure that she could whip up an excuse. Say that the cold of Northrend would cause her knee too much discomfort. Not a total lie, and one that Jaina knew Sylvanas would accept without question. But then there was the matter of how terrible Jaina would have felt, taking advantage of Sylvanas’ trust. But then maybe—

“Jaina?” Sylvanas placed a hand on Jaina's arm to get her attention, only to quickly jerk it back when she startled, “are you alright?” Her ears laid back in concern, “you’re going to take a chunk out of your lip if you keep chewing at it like you are.”

Jaina touched her lip and winced at the gouge she had nearly bit into it. “Sorry,” she muttered, “got lost in my thoughts. I’m fine,” she turned to see doubt and worry clear on Sylvanas’ face and sighed, “okay, maybe I’m not fine.”

“Is it the thought of going to Northrend?” Sylvanas asked with a frown, “because you know that I would never drag you kicking and screaming all the way there. You are more than welcome to go home.”

“No, I want to go,” Jaina assured her, “I’m just not sure I’ll be a very good company there.” Not a total lie, and not one that would matter all that much, Sylvanas would be far too busy to be constantly keeping Jaina company. Maybe that was part of what made the thought of going to Icecrown, of all places, even harder to handle. She took a breath and placed her head against Sylvanas’ shoulder, “I want to be there when you win.”

“And I want you there,” Sylvanas said, running her fingers through Jaina's hair in a soothing manner, “but only if you are going to be comfortable.”

Jaina slowly relaxed against Sylvanas, easily soothed by the hand in her hair, “I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me.”

_________________________________________________________

Jaina was not fine.

As usual, the team had needed to be at the arena long before the game started, and Jaina had been left to find her way to the locker room on her own. Normally, this wasn’t an issue but normally the arenas the Farstriders played in had been designed sensibly. Jaina had been wandering around the inner halls of what the locals called The Citadel for a solid twenty minutes trying to find the away teams dressing room. But the Citadel was massive, built larger than most other arenas in the hopes of boosted ticket sales.

It hadn’t, Jaina had looked it up as she wandered she that she could figure out exactly how angry she should have been to walk past the same storage closet for the third time. How was that even possible? She was sure that she was t going in circles, or at least she thought she wasn’t.

It didn’t help that the arena was freezing. Why a city that was almost always freezing cold would build a massive stone structure and give it only the barest amount of insulation. Jaina sighed as she pulled out her phone, throwing in the towel and texting Sylvanas to let her know she was lost.

With that, Jaina leaned back against the wall, resigning herself to having to wait for a rescue team. She hugged herself tightly, willing herself to believe that she was anywhere else. That she was back home in Dalaran with Sylvanas, that her heart wasn’t racing, her breath not shallow.

“Hey!” A cold familiar voice dragged Jaina back from her thoughts and made dread settle in the pit of her stomach like a lead weight, “this area is off-limits to the public!”

Jaina had only just come to terms with the fact that she would have to see him from a distance, but this, having him so close to her? It made her forget all of the strides she had taken. She wasn't strong or brave. Hadn’t overcome any of her fears, not when their source was standing right in front of her, looking her over with those same icy eyes. Jaina was just as she had been all those years ago, broken and afraid. “Arthas,” the name left her before she could stop it, and the recognition it sparked in his eyes only served to make Jaina feel worse. Arthas, after all, he had done, hadn’t even recognized her.

“Jaina,” at one point in her life, hearing Arthas say her name would have made her heart flutter, now it simply made her wish her mother had never chosen the name at all. One word, her name, and Arthas managed to make it sound like it didn't belong to her at all. “Been a long time, but it looks like you've come crawling back. What? Now that I’ve finally managed to get back everything that you robbed me of, you want a piece again? Hmm?” he leaned closer.

Jaina, for her part, was doing her best to disappear into the wall. “No,” her voice was a quiet, broken murmur, “I just got lost. The Farstriders, I’m--,”

“Haven’t changed at all have you,” Arthas sneered, “you always did like fucking elves didn’t you?”

“I never—,”

“Which one have you jumped in with this time? The goalie? No, to low for you. Did you jump the whole team and go straight for that prissy manager?” Arthas slid his foot forward, hooking the end of her cane with his toe and knocking it from her shaky grip. “Or maybe you just crawl from one to the next.” Jaina bit back a cry of pain as she leaned over into her bad knee to try to stop herself from falling fully.

“Get away from her!” Sylvanas practically roared as she rounded the corner into the hallway with Lor’themar and Liadrin jogging to keep up with her. Sylvanas forced herself between Jaina and Arthas, shoving him back a few steps. She hated her fangs at him, her ears were pinned back flat against her skull.

Sylvanas glanced quickly over her shoulder to make sure Jaina was okay, relaxing slightly when she saw Liadrin carefully holding her close. The momentary calm lasted only as long as it took Sylvanas to recognize the fear in Jaina's eyes. “You,” she snarled, rounding once more in Arthas, “you did this to her!” Sylvanas would have lunged at him then and there if it hadn’t have been for Lor’themar quickly grabbing hold of the back of her jersey.

“Ah,” Arthas smiled, “so you picked her up. Her taste hasn't changed.” He shifted to look over Sylvanas’ shoulder at Jaina, an odd look in his eye, “maybe you are still worth my time.”

“Not here, Sylvanas,” Lor’themar hissed, pulling her back before she could try and jump at Artas again, “we have Jaina, let’s just go. You’ll get your chance.”

Jaina hardly noticed the exchange. As soon as Liadrin arm was securely around her, Jaina clung to her tightly, trying to hide in her jersey. She stumbled so badly down the hall that Liadrin had to nearly carry her back, not that the goalie seemed to mind. She shouldered Jaina's weight without a word of complaint. She was faintly aware that she was being made to sit on a bench. Why was she sitting down? People around her were talking but she couldn't make out what, but she could hear her name. She turned her head slowly to come face-to-face with Sylvanas. “Sylv?” she blinked in confusion, slowly coming back to herself, when Sylvanas wrapped her arms around her, burying her face into Jaina's lap. She looked around to see the Farstriders gearing up wearing matching looks of grim determination.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, I never would have thought that that would be why you didn't want to come,” Sylvanas said, “I should have sent someone to lead you to the dressing room. I know this place is a nightmare to navigate but--,” she grit her teeth, “we’ll crush them. Tear them apart!” she stood quickly, saying something in rapid Thalassian that the others quickly took up as a chant.

Jaina squinted in confusion, scooting down the bench to talk to Liadrin, “what are they saying?”

Liadrin looked thoughtful for a moment, turning her mask over in her hands, “it doesn't have a true translation into Common,” she explained, “but, I can tell you that it is an old Quel’dorei war cry. That man, in the hallway, I am going to assume that you knew him, but I won't guess on why or how. But Sylvanas knows, and she's calling for blood.”

Jaina's eyes snapped over to Sylvanas as the elf in question pulled on her helmet, tapping her stick rhythmically on the ground. Jaina could feel it in her chest as the rest of the team joined in. She watched in awe as they filed out of the room and out to the ice. Jaina stood on shaky legs, gripping her retrieved cane tightly, turning to go back the way she had come only to be stopped by Lor’themar.

“Where are you going, Jaina?” he asked, gently catching her elbow to turn her, “you're in the box with us today.” He smiled, “best seat to watch that bastard go down. And I think Sylvanas would kill me if I let you wander off on your own again after that. Come on.”

Jaina was thankful for his arm steadying her as she was lead out to the team box. The roar of the crowd was deafening and Jaina was amazed to see that the players had already hit the ice. She took a seat on the edge of the bench, watching as the teams sped around the rink. She could feel the tension as they took their side for the playing of the anthem.

Even Northrend's anthem was cold. Low and ominous, it drones through the speakers accompanied by the voices of Northrend's denizens. It sounded more akin to the chanting of some occult group than the anthem of a nation.

When Sylvanas and Arthas met in the middle of the ice, there was no handshake, no wishes for a good game. Only barely concealed rage.

In the first ten minutes of the game, seven penalties were dealt between the two teams. Open ice checks and blatant slashing. Through it all, Sylvanas surged forward to the net. With the puck under her control, she took a powerful shot from just past the centre line. With all of the chaos around her, no one seemed to notice that she had seemed to remember that they were supposed to be actually playing hockey, as such, no one was ready for the puck that rocketed past the unawares Scourge goalie and scoring the first goal of the game.

While the teams fought, Sylvanas was busy putting a target on her back. That first goal became two, and two rapidly became three.

The target was struck near the end of the second period. The rest of the players seemed to come out of their violent stupour and had put Sylvanas on the run. As the goal count rose on both sides, Arthas became increasingly irate. He directed this ire squarely at Sylvanas. He dogged her constantly, going out of his way to slam her around. One of his teammates slammed into Sylvanas just as Arthas brought his stick up to slash at her. Sylvanas stumbled back at just the wrong time as the blade of the hockey stick came towards her, the edge of it striking her high across the cheek. She went down, hard. Crimson blood leaked onto the ice and when a ref skated over to help her up, all could see the source. A gash ran high along Sylvanas’ cheekbone, just below her eye. Both the ref and Lor’themar were trying to get her off the ice, but she wasn’t having it.

Sylvanas shook them both off and raced after Arthas. Her gloves joined her stick and when he turned to the sound of her rage-filled roar, her fist met with his jaw. Another Scourge player, a bulky orc, tried to join their fight to get Sylvanas off of their captain, but Nathanos cut him off, grabbing his jersey to swing him into the boards.

From there, all hell broke loose. Jaina watched on in horror as equipment littered the ice and the hockey game dissolved into an all-out brawl. It took them far too many people to break up the scattered fights and when the ice cleared only the goalies remained with no penalties. Jaina had never seen anything like it and when Sylvanas was lead past her and back into the locker room she followed as quickly as she could.

When she got there, Sylvanas was sitting on the bench, a medic checking over her injury. “You are not pulling me out of the game,” Sylvanas growled, wincing when the medic began cleaning the cut.

“And why shouldn’t I?” Kael’thas snapped back, “that stunt you pulled aside, you are bleeding everywhere, you need to go to the hospital.”

“Just patch me up, I’ll be fine.”

“Sylv,” Jaina made herself known, hobbling over to get a better look at her, “what were you thinking?”

In the face of the woman she loved, Sylvanas’ anger seemed to melt away, “I wasn’t… I just… I wanted him to pay and he gave me the opening to do it.”

Jaina gave Kael’thas a pointed look, smiling faintly when he left to see how the end of the second period would play out. “Sylvanas, I never want you hurting yourself for my sake,” Jaina said, pulling her close, “you want him to pay? Beat him with your skill, not your fists. Don’t sink to his level.”

Distantly they heard the sound of the buzzer signaling the end of the period. Jaina watched the team file in, catching Lor’themar as he passed, “what’s the score?” she asked.

“We all tied up right now,” Lor’themar said, “but if they keep going how they have been, it’ll be a slim chance.”

“We won’t be,” Sylvanas declared, “we are going to win. That’s an order.”

When the Farstriders retook the ice, it was with heads far more level. Battered and determined, they played better than they had the whole game. With the Scourge still feeding off of Arthas’ anger, it was easy for the elves to take back the lead now that they were calmer. Sylvanas still went out of her way to pester Arthas, keeping his focus on her and away from the puck. They had the lead, all they had to do now was outlast the clock.

Time seemed to drag on and on. They managed another goal after the Scourge had closed the gap again but finally, the buzzer sounded. Sylvanas chanced a look at the scoreboard and her jaw dropped. Eight-to-seven. She let out a cheer, skating to the centre to meet the others in a celebratory group hug. When she managed to break away, she skated over to the box where Jaina was waiting for her.

Jaina pulled her into a searing kiss, smiling against her lips, “I’m so proud of you.”

“It was only the first game,” Sylvanas chuckled, sliding back to give them space.

“And I know you’ll win the second,” Jaina beamed, “you are all so--,” she cut herself off when she saw movement over Sylvanas’ shoulder. Arthas was charging towards them and Jaina knew the look in his eyes all too well. She grabbed Sylvanas by her jersey and pulled her forward roughly to get her closer while she quickly raised her cane, holding it old, ignoring the way her knee screamed when she shifted her weight onto it. Her arm jerked back when Arthas slid to a stop, her cane just tapping his chest. Her arm was shaking and she struggled to swallow down the fear that bubbled up once more, but she managed. “You're done here, Arthas,” Jaina tilted her chin up, looking down her nose at him. She stayed like that until Arthas swatted her cane from his chest, spitting on the ice next to Sylvanas before skating off.

Once he was gone, Sylvanas wrapped her arms around Jaina, helping her stand. “Are you alright?”

Jaina nodded, burying her face into Sylvanas’ shoulder, “I think I am now,” laughter bubbled, “I think I’m finally alright.” 


	17. The Rink

Jaina placed down the final box with a grunt. She hobbled over to where the moves had put her couch and sat down with a relieved sigh. “I hope you really like this house, because we are never moving again!” Jaina declared. It had taken them nearly the entire day, but she and Sylvanas had finally finished their big move. It was a nice house, just big enough for the two of them, in a quiet neighbourhood in Dalaran.

It wasn’t the largest house, certainly not the kind you would expect a famous hockey player to live in. No massive mansion or fancy penthouse, just a quaint little three bedroom. but Sylvanas had been insistent that they live somewhere within Jainas means. She didn’t want her beloved to feel like a kept woman, and so here they now were.

Sylvanas wandered into the living room with a chuckle, “you’re the one who insisted on moving all the boxes without the help of the movers,” she reminded her. She leaned down to kiss Jaina, letting out a surprised snort when Jaina pulled her down into the couch instead.

“Hush, you,” Jaina said, leaning over to place a light kiss against the small scar that still ran across Sylvanas’ cheek.

“I’ll never understand this new obsession of yours,” Sylvanas said with a dramatic sigh, “it isn't like I kicked some bastards ass or anything like that.”

“Twice,” Jaina smiled, kissing the scar again, “you kicked his ass twice.” She ran her thumb along the surface of the championship ring that scarcely left Sylvanas’ finger. She pulled the Sylvanas’ hand up and kissed the ring, “so, how do you plan on spending your vacation?”

Sylvanas hummed in thought, “I think I’ll play at being a housewife for a bit. Make our home more,” she waved her hand flippantly, “homey.” Before Jaina could reply, Sylvanas scrambled off the couch, “shit!” She ran down the hall, returning swiftly with a simple red box that Jaina had somehow not noticed and her bag, “we’re going to be late!”

Jaina blinked in confusion, “late?” She questioned, “late for what?”

“Our reservation,” Sylvanas clarified, unhelpfully. She tossed Jainas coat to her, pulling on her own and grabbing Jaina's car keys. “Well? Come on.”

Still confused, Jaina stood, putting her coat on and followed her excited girlfriend out to the car. “Where are we going?” She tried again after getting in the car. Sylvanas’ only reply was to hand her a sleep mask. Jaina held the mask a moment before giving Sylvanas a dry look, “seriously? Are you really asking me to blindfold myself?”

Sylvanas pouted dramatically, her ears pinned back and her lip trembling faintly, “please, Jaina?” she begged, “I want this to be a surprise.”

With a frown, Jaina agreed. She put on the sleep mask after doing up her seat belt, doing her best to relax. “You’ll keep talking to me, right?” Jaina asked, her hands fidgeting in her lap.

“Of course I will,” Sylvanas promised, “anything to make you comfortable.” And she did. She spoke of whatever was on her mind. Her excitement for their new home. Her slight unease about actually living in Dalaran, instead of staying at her mother's in the offseason.

“You were already technically living in Dalaran last season,” Jaina supplied with a smile, “I doubt anyone else on the team were making special trips across the continent to be with someone.”

Sylvanas let out a quiet laugh, “you got me there,” she conceded. She pulled off into a parking lot, stopping the car. She reached over and tapped Jaina's leg, “we’re here,” Sylvanas said, getting out of the car and collecting the box and her bag.

Jaina quickly removed the blindfold, her nervous excitement melting into utter confusion at what she saw. “The arena?” she asked, grabbing her cane as she hoisted herself out, “what are we doing here?”

“I told you,” Sylvanas said, “it's a surprise.” She led Jaina inside, stopping when a security guard came out to meet them. “Afternoon,” she greeted.

The guard took her proffered hand, “afternoon. Two hours, right Miss Windrunner? I’ll make sure you two aren't bothered.”

“Thank you,” Sylvanas turned to Jaina with a smile, “come on.”

Jaina followed Sylvanas down to the ice. The arena was eerily quiet, completely devoid of anyone save for the two of them. Even the music that played couldn't lift the strange air of the place. Lonely. That was the only word that Jaina could use to describe the scene. She sat down on the bench next to Sylvanas and looked at the box. “You're Not planning on proposing here are you?” she quirked a brow as she asked, a small smirk playing across her lips.

“Whats?” Sylvanas' gaze snapped to Jaina, “No! No no. I mean, not that I wouldn't want to. I would love to. Maybe not right now, or here. But someday--,” her ears flicked back, the tips tinged pink with embarrassment when Jaina began laughing.

“I’m joking,” Jaina laughed, pulling Sylvanas down for a soft kiss, “I’ll wait as long as you need.” She flashed her a mischievous grin, “but don't make me wait too long, or I’ll have to beat you to it.” When Sylvanas relaxed, Jaina nodded to the box, “so, if it's not a ring, what's in the box?”

“Promise not to freak out?” Sylvanas said as she opened the box away from Jaina. She didn't wait for a response before pulling out one of the items held in the box. A skate. “I know that the last time I suggested this, things didn't go well,” Sylvanas said when Jaina swallowed hard, “but remember that I would never force you to do anything you don't want to. Okay?” She pulled the box down as she kneeled in front of Jaina, pulling out another skate, this one modified to include an intricate knee brace. Sylvanas smiled up at Jaina, “I had this made for you. I’ve seen the look in your eyes when you watch me skate. The sadness and longing you try to hide. You may not be able to skate very fast or do the jumps you used to, but you’ll be able to be on the ice again. If you want.” When Jaina said nothing, Sylvanas quickly pulled a little rough rubber cap out of the box, “I even have this, so your cane doesn't slip, so that you have a bit of extra support and--,” she cut herself off when Jaina hid her face in her hands, she shoulders shaking with quiet sobs. Sylvanas’ ears pinned back in dismay and she hastily returned the items to the box, “I’m sorry, Jaina! I didn’t mean to upset you I just thought that maybe—,”

Jaina pulled Sylvanas up into a hug, holding her tightly, “thank you,” she managed to say through her sobs. They stayed like that for a long while before Jaina said, “will you help me put the brace on?”

“Yes!” Sylvanas was careful not to jostle Jaina's leg to put as she removed her shoe and slid on the skate, strapping the brace tightly to Jaina's leg. After securing the final strap, Sylvanas looked up at Jaina, “is it too tight?”

Jaina shook her head, pulling the support strap up onto her shoulder, “a bit uncomfortable, but I think that’s just how it is.” She put on the other skate while Sylvanas got her own on.

“Need a hand up?” Sylvanas offered after putting the cap on Jainas cane.

“Please.” Jaina squeezes her eyes shut, preparing herself for pain as Sylvanas pulled her to her feet. But the pain didn’t come, only a sense of discomfort that Jaina found easy to ignore. With the aid of Sylvanas and her cane, Jaina hobbled carefully towards the ice. She looked down at it and swallowed hard. “What if I fall?” She asked nervously.

“I’ll catch you,” Sylvanas assures her, her hand on the small of Jainas back, “I’ll always catch you.” When she was little, Jaina had once seen a deer try and cross the frozen pond she and her brothers had been skating on. It had slipped and slid and the moment Jaina set foot on the ice she felt that that poor deer had been more graceful than she was now. Her strides were sluggish and moving her leg in a way that actually moved her forward was more difficult than it should have been.

Anytime Jaina teetered too far to one side or the other, Sylvanas was there to steady her. A gentle hand on her shoulder, a quiet word of encouragement and Jaina would be off again. “You’ve got this, Jaina!” Sylvanas cheered as Jaina made her way further down the rink.

Using her cane to steady herself, Jaina began to skate around the rink. She had to grab hold of the boards a few times when her legs began to shake, but she was quick to recover. Jaina made it one lap around the rink, and then two.

It took Jaina up to the fourth lap to actually realize that she was skating! She was actually skating. If she closed her eyes she could almost imagine the cheers that once would have filled the stands for her. Only, she didn't have to imagine the cheers. When Jaina opened her eyes it was to see that she and Sylvanas were no longer alone. Standing in the stands, hands clasped over her mouth, was her mother with Vereesa standing next to her, fists raised high as she let out a cheer.

In her shock, Jaina slipped. Her bad leg slipped out from under her and she began to fall back towards the ice, only to be caught by Sylvanas, who had raced over to catch her. “I’ve got you,” Sylvanas soothed as she helped Jaina back to her feet, “I promised that I wouldn't let you fall.” Sylvanas wrapped her arms around Jaina, pulling her back to her chest. With a small smile, Sylvanas placed her chin on Jaina's shoulder, “good enough surprise?”

Jaina nodded, tears welling up in her eyes, “this has to be the best surprise I’ve ever been given. How did you manage this?”

Sylvanas’ ears flicked back, “I told your mother what I was planning. She said she wanted to be as involved as she could. she’s actually the one who got us our time in the arena.” She chuckled when Vereesa just kept cheering, even as she and Katherine made their way down rinkside, “and Vereesa picked her up from the airport.”

With Sylvanas’ help, she made her way off of the ice to be pulled into her mother's embrace the moment her skates were off.

Katherine rocked from side to side, holding Jaina close and pressing kisses to the side of her head. She let out a small grunt when Vereesa all but threw herself into the hug, wrapping her arms around both humans. Katherine merely chuckled, smiling fondly. “Oh, my sweet girl! I am so proud of you,” Katherine spoke softly into Jaina's ear.

“Thanks, Mum,” Jaina smiled brightly, shifting in her mother's arms so that she could see Sylvanas, “but I never would have gotten this far, would have tried putting myself back on the ice, without Sylvanas.”

Without a word, Katherine held out one of her arms, looking pointedly at Sylvanas, “come on, Dear.” She waited as Sylvanas moved closer, almost cautiously, and pulled her in right next to Jaina, “thank you, for everything you have done for my daughter.”

“You really don’t have to thank me,” Sylvanas said, her ears twitching back in embarrassment, “Jaina deserves the world.”

Jaina turned so she could hide her face against Sylvanas’ shoulder, “so you have to be so sweet in front of my mother?”

“I’m pretty sure there is a law somewhere that says I have to,” Sylvanas said gravely, earning her a shove from Vereesa.

After their laughter died down, Jaina pulled away from Katherine so that she could kiss Sylvanas, just the chastest of kisses. “You know,” Jaina started, “I think I can learn to live with that.”

Sylvanas quirked a brow, “really? Even if I go off about how you are the smartest, most wonderful woman I have ever met?”

“Yes,” Jaina kisses her again, “even then.” She smiled brightly then, “you know I’m going to ask you to take me skating all the time now, right?”

Sylvanas let out a dramatic sigh, “the things I do for love.”

In response, Jaina simply kissed her again, “love you too.” In that moment, surrounded by people that loved her, Jaina felt better than she had in years. Everything had finally turned around and for the first time in a long time, Jaina looked towards the future with no small amount of excitement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's game.  
This brings us to the end of this story. Thank you all for reading. For your comments and kudos, they really mean a lot to me.  
I never expected the kind of reception that this story received. I honestly never thought that a fic about hockey would hit off so well. Thank you again.


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